AURORA | A violinist with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra pleaded guilty last week to sexual assault on a child after police say he assaulted two girls at his home.
David Waldman, 42, will have to register as a sex offender and undergo 10 years of intensive sex offender probation, according to a statement from Arapahoe County prosecutors. Waldman, who was arrested in November 2011, will not serve time in prison.
According to the statement from prosecutors, Waldman assaulted two girls in separate incidents about a year apart. In September 2011, a 13-year-old girl spent the night at Waldman’s Aurora home with his daughter. That night, the girl called her parents and asked them to pick her up. She later told her father that Waldman had come into the room where she was sleeping, put his hand on her private area and “smelled her” there.
Prosecutors said Waldman’s wife also told police Waldman said he wanted to kill himself and admitted he touched the girl inappropriately.
Later, parents of a second girl came forward and told Aurora police that in July 2010, when their daughter was 12 years old, Waldman tried to touch her private area during a sleep over. The girl said Waldman came into the living room where she was sleeping, reached into her sleeping bag and tried pulling her pajama bottoms down. The girl rolled over, but Waldman tried again, this time sliding his hand onto her hip, and she sat up. He then ran out of the room and sat on the stairs where he watched her.
Prosecutors said the girl’s parents did not report the incident to police immediately and were unaware of the report from the other girl. They came forward after seeing news about the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State and were concerned there may be other victims, prosecutors said.
Waldman pleaded guilty to sexual assault on a child for the 2011 incident and to attempted sexual assault for the 2010 incident, prosecutors said.
According to a biography posted online, Waldman has been with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra since 1994 and also taught violin to younger students.
Prosecutors said Waldman was affiliated with the Young Artists Orchestra of Colorado and encouraged parents who have concerns that their child spent time with Waldman to contact Detective Dave Thailing with the Aurora police Crimes Against Children Unit at 303-739-6141.
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