Former Loveland police officer Dylan Miller fired, charged with sexual assault of 15-year-old girl in Northern Colorado

Editor's note: A previous version of the story misstated the timeline of events when the alleged assault occurred. It has been updated to reflect the accurate timeline, according to investigators.

A former police officer in Northern Colorado is facing six charges including, sexual assault, sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust and unlawful sexual conduct by a peace officer in a case involving a 15-year-old girl. Dylan Miller was identified as the suspect by Loveland Police Chief Tim Doran at a news conference Monday.

"When a member of our department is accused of violating the law, I will act swiftly," Doran said.

The department was contacted Monday, Oct. 23, by a 15-year-old girl's family about the alleged assault. They say it happened at North Lake Park this past summer. Investigators said Miller conducted a traffic stop of a car in which several people, including the girl, were riding in late July.

Several days later, while on duty, detectives say Miller drove into the park at night and saw the girl and another person. He told the other person to leave.

Then, say investigators, he told the girl to go to a wooded area "and instructed her to walk to a secluded area of the park. It was in this location that he sexually assaulted her," said Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen, whose department led the investigation.

Doran said his department acted swiftly when the allegation was brought to them.  

Loveland PD requested that the Larimer County Sheriff's Office conduct the investigation and the girl was interviewed three days after the complaint. The following day when Miller arrived for work, he was put on administrative leave.

"You can rest assured we acted as quickly as possible to identify and place the former officer on leave to minimize his contact with the public," said Doran.

After getting an arrest warrant and taking Miller into custody Monday, the department fired him. 

In addition to the sex charges, Miller, 28, faces a kidnapping charge, first-degree official misconduct and official oppression. The latter two are misdemeanors.

Miller's arrest follows incidents of police abuses in recent years that have led to convictions and lawsuit payouts by the city of Loveland.

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The most infamous, perhaps, was the treatment of 73-year-old Karen Garner, a woman with dementia who was forcibly arrested after walking out of a Walmart with $14 of goods she did not pay for in 2020. Her shoulder was injured and her arm broken in an arrest. Former officer Austin Hopp is currently serving time in a state prison for the incident.

"Our community deserves transparency and accountability," Doran said. "People who victimize children deserve to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Anyone who uses their badge to do so is a disgrace to this profession and should be rooted out."

Feyen said his respect for the alleged victim's courage in coming forward is "beyond measure."

Feyen said there could be more victims and asked anyone with information about this case or others involving Miller to come forward.

If convicted of any of the felonies, Miller would lose his police certification and be prohibited from serving as a law enforcement officer in Colorado.