The Colorado Springs Police Department says it has arrested a 41-year-old man in connection with an investigation into the alleged exploitation of a child.

Police said Nicholas Madson faces a felony charge of soliciting a child for unlawful sexual conduct using computer services following a month-long investigation. Madson was taken into custody on Wednesday.

According to police, the department received a tip on Sept. 9 from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alleging that a Colorado Springs man had been communicating online with the juvenile girl in Florida.

During the investigation, a detective with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office in Florida contacted the potential victim and learned the child had allegedly sent explicit videos and photos to Madson, according to police.

Detectives later determined that Madson was a teacher at the CIVA Charter High School in Colorado Springs.

In a statement, CIVA Charter High School sent the Scripps News group the following message:

Mr. Madson has been employed with CIVA since 2019. His role was a teaching theatre. He has been placed on leave. The safety and well-being of our students has always been and will always remain, our highest priority. We have cooperated fully with law enforcement and will continue to do so throughout this investigation. We recognize the gravity of these allegations and the concern they understandably create within our school community. As this is an ongoing law enforcement matter involving an employee, we are unable to comment further on the investigation or confidential personnel matters. Mr. Madson has been employed with us since 2019. His role was a theatre teacher. He has been placed on leave. Thank you,

According to police, the investigation remains active and ongoing.

Police said anyone who may have had inappropriate contact with Madson, or who has information that could assist investigators in this investigation, is asked to contact the Colorado Springs Police Department at 719-444-7000. Individuals wishing to remain anonymous can contact Pikes Peak Crime Stoppers at 719-634-STOP (7867) or 1-800-222-8477.

Madson is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Colorado Springs City Council member Dave Donelson has confirmed he will be running for mayor in the next city election.

Questions arose after Donelson's Facebook page changed from "Dave Donelson for City Council District 1" to "Dave Donelson Mayor for the people".

Donelson confirmed that he will be running, sending the Scripps News Group the following statement:

An official announcement of my candidacy will be released in the next few weeks. Because of the interest by media in the name change of my Facebook page from Dave Donelson for City Council District 1 to Dave Donelson Mayor for the people I am releasing this brief statement. As a Colorado Springs City Councilman, over the last five and a half years I have earned the reputation of being the councilman who actually listens to the citizens. I have become known for integrity, transparency, and fighting for the interests of our citizens, their neighborhoods, and businesses. Now we need a mayor who has those values. This current City Councilman, father, recent grandfather, and former Green Beret looks forward to working for the citizens of Colorado Springs as their Mayor for the People!

The next Colorado Springs Municipal Election is scheduled for April 7, 2027. The Mayor's office will be up for election, including three at-large city council seats.

Donelson was elected to represent Colorado Springs City Council District 1 in 2021, and was reelected to the seat in 2025.

According to KOAA's news partner at The Gazette, based on early campaign finance reports, four additional candidates have already filed to run for mayor.

Incumbent Mayor Yemi Mobolade, who took over the office in 2023, and three other candidates Stan VanderWerf, John Tig Tiegen, and Democrat Glen Shaw.

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The Colorado Springs Police Department had issued a shelter-in-place order for homes and businesses along Wood Avenue in Colorado Springs Tuesday night.

According to police, a call first came in from a reported shooting inside a home in the area. Police learned once they arrived that no one was hurt and the threat was not credible.

The department said the order was for a quarter-mile radius around the 3100 block of Wood Avenue due to law enforcement activity. Near the Fillmore and Cascade Avenue intersection.

"The Colorado Springs Police Department has issued a SHELTER IN PLACE ORDER for residents within a 1/4 mile radius of 3100 Wood Ave due to LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITY near 3100 Wood Ave. SECURE your home/business and STAY AWAY from doors and windows. SHELTER in a safe place until further notice. You will receive an alert when the order is lifted," read the Peak Alert Tuesday night.

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The Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (CDFPC) has published the initial report on one of Colorado's most destructive wildfires since the Marshall Fire in 2021.

On Monday, the Scripps News Group acquired the CDFPC report from attorneys representing victims of the Aspen Acres Fire. According to the report, it began roughly 200 feet west of Colorado Highway 165 at mile marker 17, southwest of the intersection of Colorado Highway 165 and Custer Drive.

The report concludes that the fire was caused by an aspen tree falling onto a power line. The tree was blown over by high winds and fell on overhead power lines, investigators said. The impact of the falling tree forced the power lines down to about three feet above the ground.

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Evidence that the report uses to make its case includes eyewitness accounts, fire effects, fire patterns, and the actual aspen tree resting on a power line with burn marks.

The aspen tree trunk was in contact with both the hot and neutral conductor, according to the report. The tree also had visible heat damage where the tree was in contact with the lines, including charring and burn marks. The lines themselves also had arcing, melting, and charring, according to the report.

The lines heated the tree bark and nearby vegetation to a point where they could ignite. Melted aluminum was also found under the area where the tree rested against the line, which should be considered as a contributor to the fire's ignition, the report said.

The report also provides evidence in the form of fire behavior and indicators, observed in the burn patterns. When burning in a particular direction, fire leaves signs of its direction of movement and its intensity. These patterns in the burned foliage, the report says, indicate that the fire advanced from the general origin area and spread west and south while also burning more intensely away from the origin area.

Other possible ignition sources were explored by investigators, including lightning, discarded smoking material, or an intentionally set fire.

Lightning was discarded as an explanation by investigators because they found that no lightning was recorded, no physical evidence of a strike was found, and no one reported lightning on that day. Not only that, a five-mile-wide report by STRIKEnet of the area found there were zero cloud-to-ground strikes detected by lightning sensors within five miles of the origin area.

Discarded smoking materials were discarded as an explanation because no smoking materials were found in the area by investigators. Additionally, investigators determined that the conditions in the area would make a fire caused by smoking materials "inconsistent and not viable given the data collected during this investigation."

Intentionally set fires do not necessarily mean arson they simply include fires that were set intentionally and not necessarily maliciously. These include open flames like candles, matches, lighters, pilot lights, and oil lamps. However, investigators found that the fire did not originate anywhere near structures with open flames.

The ignition, which the report says took place in the general area of a series of utility poles, was also witnessed by a local resident at 5:45 a.m. on June 29. It immediately began to spread westward up the hill and towards the south, according to the testimony provided in the report.

The Aspen Acres Fire began on June 29 and remains active with 82% containment. It has burned 102,007 acres as of Oct. 2, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Read the Full Report Below For Yourself

The fire destroyed over 200 homes and evacuated thousands of people across the fire, which burned in Pueblo, Fremont, Huerfano, and Custer Counties.

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A man was injured during a shooting involving police on the Colorado State University Fort Collins Campus Monday.

Campus police received a report around 5:35 p.m. of a man who was behaving erratically and approached a university officer with a handgun near Newton Plaza.

Gunfire occurred and the suspect was shot, according to campus officials. It is unclear at this time if the man shot himself or if he was struck by the officer's shot.

Aid was rendered and the man was taken to a local hospital.

No other injuries were reported.

The public was asked to avoid the area around the chemistry and microbiology buildings.

The identity of that person has not yet been released. Their current condition is unknown.

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Were hearing reports of a police presence on the CSU campus. A friend of mine, a Ph.D. student on campus, received a notification around 6:02 p.m. He also told me over the phone that he heard gunshots. Were working to get more information from CSU Police. @DenverChannel https://t.co/bSsjJQVXfh Peter W. Choi (@peterwjchoi) October 13, 2026

Denver7 is working to learn more about the incident, but according to the campus alert system, it was all clear as of 6:50 p.m. Police remained in the area Monday night.

The Fort Collins Police Department is leading the investigation. As the department shares more information, we will provide more information

KOAA News5 is the proud Southern Colorado home of the Colorado Springs Switchbacks!

KOAA will stream all non-nationally exclusive Switchbacks FC matches on our mobile app, connected TV apps, and website for Southern Coloradans to enjoy.

Saturday night, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks will be in California to take on the Sacramento Republic FC. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m.

More information about watching the games live can be found on our website.

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A prescribed burn is sending smoke into the sky west of Colorado Springs on Thursday.

The U.S. Forest Service is planning to burn nearly 1,800 acres near Rampart Reservoir, about three miles east of Woodland Park, as early as today.

Officials say the burn will help reduce woody debris, small trees, and other fuels on the forest floor, lowering the risk of severe wildfires in the future.

The project is expected to last a couple of days, depending on weather conditions. Smoke and flames could remain visible for several days or even weeks afterward.

Drivers and hikers in the area are urged to use caution as fire crews and equipment may be working along nearby roads and trails.

And if you see the smoke, officials say there's no need to call 911, as the prescribed burn is planned and being closely monitored.

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This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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The El Paso County Search and Rescue, with the help of the U.S. Military, Broadmoor Fire Department, and El Paso County Sheriff's Office, worked to help an injured hiker along Old Stage Road.

The department said the call first came in around 5 p.m., and rescue crews had to use a military helicopter to get the victim to safety.

By 10:20 p.m., the hiker was rescued and was on their way to a local hospital.

Details on how the hiker got injured were not available at the time of this article's publication.

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Colorado high school seniors considering the University of Colorado Colorado Springs will no longer need to worry about an application fee.

That is according to UCCS Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet, who announced the State of UCCS address Wednesday.

We have a responsibility to build an environment that minimizes barriers to progress and provides students the support and relationships they need to thrive, Sobanet said. Sometimes even a relatively small barrier, like an application fee, can be enough to keep someone from taking that first step to becoming a Mountain Lion.

The goal is to increase enrollment at the public research university in Southern Colorado.

Currently, the university provides education to 11,000 students and has 1950 faculty and staff working in the region.

For more information about UCCS, click here.

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Voters across Colorado Counties may be seeing a ballot question not meant for them.

The Scripps News Group confirmed that some voters across parts of Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas, and Weld Counties will be seeing Issue 7A on their ballots when they are not supposed to.

Issue 7A surrounds the creation of a tax within the Front Range Passenger Rail District, which seeks to create a passenger rail line along the Front Range, known as CoCo.

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The Front Range Passenger Rail District includes the entirety of the following municipalities: Arvada, Boulder, Bow Mar, Broomfield, Centennial, Cherry Hills Village, Colorado Springs, Columbine Valley, Denver, Englewood, Federal Heights, Fort Collins, Glendale, Greenwood Village, Lafayette, Lakeside, Lakewood, Littleton, Longmont, Louisville, Loveland, Manitou Springs, Mountain View, Pueblo, Sheridan, Starkville, Superior, Trinidad and Westminster. It also includes Sterling Ranch Colorado Metropolitan Districts Nos. 1 through 7 in Douglas County.

The Colorado Secretary of State's Office is aware of the issue and says it will assist the affected counties to ensure the proper votes are counted, although their office did not provide details on how that would work.

<b>Yes, the Department is aware that Ballot Issue 7A was included on more voters ballots in Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas, and Weld Counties than it should have been following the adoption of SB 26-172. The Department will assist affected Counties so that only eligible voters have their vote in this contest counted. I cant say more about what that will look like at this time, but will share as soon as possible.&nbsp;</b> <b>Counties may not begin processing ballots or counting votes in this or any contest until the 19^th.&nbsp;</b>

The Scripps News Group has reached out to affected counties and the clerks for a response and what their plans will be locally and is awaiting a response.

The Scripps News Group will continue to follow this issue as Election Day approaches.

Funeral services will be held for former Pueblo Police officer Cpl. Stephen Biggs, who died in a boating accident in September of 2026.

In a release Tuesday, the Pueblo Police Department said that family, friends, and fellow officers will be honoring Biggs during a funeral service on Wednesday.

Out of respect for the family's wishes, media will not attend the service. For those members of the public looking to pay their respects, the service will be livestreamed with the help of Praise Assembly at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.

You can tune into the stream below.

Biggs died while off duty after he went missing from his boat at Lake Pueblo State Park on Sunday, Sept. 27. He was reported missing, and his body was found in the lake on Monday, Sept. 28.

Biggs was employed with the department since October 2010 and served in a variety of roles. He had 10 letters of commendation, three Medal of Valor awards, and a Distinguished Service award.

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One person is dead, and another is injured following a shooting in the overnight hours of Monday, according to police.

Police responded around 1 a.m. following a ShotSpotter alert along Lynwood Lane on the city's southwest side.

When officers arrived, they found one person suffering from a gunshot wound and began providing medical aid. While treating the victim, more gunshots were heard.

Officers established a perimeter and, following a search, a person was found dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was holding an "AR-style rifle".

The victim and the suspect have not been identified at the time of this article's publication. If you or anyone you know is in crisis, help is out there; begin by calling the National Suicide Helpline at 988.

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