Former Colorado fire captain sent to prison for sexual assaults

A former captain at a small Colorado fire department was sentenced Friday to a minimum of 55 years in prison for sexually assaulting five females, some of them fire department employees who were molested or raped while on duty at the department's only fire station. 

Kamron Barnaby, 33, could spend the rest of his prison if he fails sex offender treatment while incarcerated, per the judge's order.

The first allegations against Barnaby came from the Hygiene Fire Department's chief in August 2022. During an exit interview with a female firefighter, the chief was told Barnaby sexually assaulted her on several occasions, including while on duty, according to the arrest affidavit in the case. 

The chief called the Boulder County Sheriff's Office. An investigation was launched. 

That first victim required several months to stabilize her emotional state and recount the experience to detectives. Once she did, detectives were able to gather allegations of other assaults. They learned the victims were Barnaby's subordinates or teenaged recruits, according to the affidavit.

Barnaby was the subject of an unrelated internal investigation in 2020 and resigned from Hygiene Fire, according to the affidavit. At the time of his arrest in 2023, Barnaby was employed by Mountain View Fire Rescue with no leadership responsibilities. That department placed him on administrative leave upon learning of the investigation, a Mountain View spokesman told CBS Colorado. Barnaby later resigned when he was criminal charged. 

Barnaby pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him - sexual assault, unlawful sexual contact, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust and sexual exploitation of children. 

A Boulder County jury found Barnaby guilty in December 2025 on all 13 charges.

Friday, several of the victims recounted the assaults during his sentencing. 

"It is my honor to have fought for justice for the many victims of this Fire Department Captain," 20th Judicial District Attorney Michael Dougherty stated afterward. "He used his power to victimize the five women who testified at trial. They were terrific in their courage and strength. Because of them, this guy will serve a much deserved and lengthy sentence in state prison."