A former Denver police sergeant won’t spend any time in jail after sexting with a person who he thought was a 14-year-old girl and trying to meet with her at a Lakewood park.
First Judicial District Judge Lily Oeffler sentenced Timothy Hyatt, 45, to four years of probation for two charges he pleaded guilty to in January: attempt to commit sexual assault on a child, a felony, and attempt to commit unlawful sexual contact, a misdemeanor. Hyatt will also register as a sex offender.
If Hyatt successfully completes probation, the felony conviction will not become part of his permanent criminal record.
Hyatt in 2022 messaged a profile on a social media website that he initially believed belonged to a 17-year-old girl named Lynsi, according to his arrest affidavit. In reality, “Lynsi” was an undercover investigator with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
“Lynsi” told Hyatt that she was actually 14, which Hyatt said was OK. He then sent her a series of sexually explicit messages and photos of his face. He asked if “Lynsi” would meet up with him for sex.
Hyatt planned to meet “Lynsi” at a Lakewood park but did not go to the park. He told “Lynsi” that he was pulled over for a traffic stop on the way to the park and then stopped replying to her messages.
The Jefferson County sheriff’s investigator called Hyatt on Aug. 10 and said she wanted to speak to him about his communications with a “Lynsi,” the affidavit states. He told the investigator that he “got carried away, there’s no excuse for it” and said he had been bored when he messaged “Lynsi,” the affidavit states.
Hyatt met the investigators at the sheriff’s office, where he was arrested.
Hyatt apologized for his actions at his sentencing hearing Monday morning and said there was no excuse for his actions. He has been in weekly therapy for previously undiagnosed mental health conditions, he said.
“Every day since the incident I have felt a great deal of remorse,” he said.
Hyatt joined the Denver Police Department in 2005 and was assigned as a sergeant within the patrol division at the time of his arrest. Denver police suspended him without pay before his resignation on Nov. 28.
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