Investigation into former Colorado school official confirms purchase of child pornography

A criminal investigation into a former Colorado school official found that he purchased child pornography, but did not appear to have any criminal contact with juveniles.

Former Jeffco Chief of Schools David Weiss was fired last December amid an investigation into the possible purchase of child pornography. According to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, they received a cyber tip from a financial brokerage, alerting them that Weiss used bitcoin to purchase child pornography in 2024.

Investigators searched his home on Dec. 19 and confiscated Weiss's electronic devices, including computers, iPads and cellphones. Weiss's electronics were sent to the Rocky Mountain Regional Computer Forensics Lab for analysis.

Because of the nature of his job, investigators also notified the Jefferson County R-1 School District, where Weiss was employed. The sheriff's office said the school district cooperated with the investigation.

According to the sheriff's office, an out-of-state law enforcement agency contacted them around a week later to notify them Weiss had committed suicide.

The sheriff's office released the findings of their investigation Wednesday, stating, "This process was lengthy and took several months to complete. While there was evidence that Weiss purchased child pornography, there was no evidence showing any direct physical or online contact with juveniles."