LAKEWOOD, Colo. – New documents show a Colorado group home leader, arrested for molesting at-risk youths under his supervision, had tattoos inked into his arm with the name or names of at least one of his alleged victims.
Affidavits show 55-year-old William Wayne Sexton sits in jail facing at least 10 felony counts of sexual assault, including charges related to sexual assault by a person in a position of trust with children under the age of 15.
When Sexton was booked into the Jefferson County Detention Center, jailers noted his tattoos: A horoscope sign of Gemini and the singular, first names of four people, all male-oriented.
Lakewood Police Department documents show one of those names is the same as a witness who stepped forward to testify that Sexton raped him repeatedly while at state-funded group home Bridgeway.
Records show Sexton was also attempting to become that alleged victim’s legal guardian.
It appears at least two more of the first names match those of others placed under Sexton’s care, according to those familiar with the investigation.
The Bridgeway Group Home is in Lakewood and run by a nonprofit listed as Savio House.
Savio House has six-figure contracts with the Colorado Department of Human Services, Jefferson County and Denver social services, and other government agencies.
Those contracts add up to about $13 million, according to tax records.
Savio House touts on its website that it is an organization that helps youths recover from crime, abuse and drug-addiction.
The first names on Sexton’s tattoos are not being published to avoid the potential of identifying alleged teenage victims of assault.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said it did not take photos of Sexton’s tattoos.
When we asked why there was no record of those images, the sheriff’s office said “sometimes we do (photograph tattoos) and sometimes we don’t.”
Sexton has no state professional license of any kind.
The only job experience was Sexton worked at a grocery store and at Long John Silver’s and Arby’s fast food restaurants before being hired by Savio House to run an at-risk youth group home.
Savio House administrators said the organization is fully cooperating with authorities.
Administrators of the State of Colorado and Jefferson County departments of human services, which had multiple employees in charge of overseeing the welfare of the teenage boys staying inside Bridgeway, have not responded to repeated requests for comment and more information.