Former Berthoud police officer sentenced to work release and 3 years probation

By John Gardner
The Surveyor

Former Berthoud Police officer Jeremy Yachik will serve 30 days in the Larimer County’s work release program and will be on supervised probation for three years as sentencing for his misdemeanor child abuse case.

Yachik appeared in Larimer County Courtroom, Monday, for a sentencing hearing in the case stemming from July 2012 incident in which Yachik was accused of abusing his then 15-year-old daughter.

Yachik entered an Alford plea in the case on April 25, vacating a four-day trial that was set to begin on May 12. The Alford plea means that Yachik didn’t admit to committing the act he was charged with but entered a guilty plea to one count of misdemeanor child abuse because the prosecution could likely convince a jury to convict him if the case proceeded to trial.

As part of the plea agreement the three remaining child-abuse charges and one count of false imprisonment, all misdemeanors, were dropped.

Yachik was also ordered to complete 80 hours of public service, and undergo a domestic violence evaluation and possible treatment. He is also not to have any contact with his daughter as well as other conditions.

Yachik was fired from the Berthoud Police Department in October 2013 after being arrested in the case. He pleaded not guilty to those charged in Larimer County Court on Dec. 2, 2013.

After his arrest, former Berthoud Police Chief Glenn Johnson resigned amid an internal investigation of the department to determine if any police policies were violated when Johnson received an email detailing the abuse, from Yachik’s former fiancé Ashley Saint-Roberts. Saint-Roberts sent the email in April 2013, but claimed that she received no response from Johnson. She then emailed the a video of Yachik kicking his daughter to the Berthoud trustees, town administration, the Loveland Police Department and Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, as well as several news organizations.

Yachik was ordered to report to the Larimer County Probation Department by noon on Tuesday, July 15. He’ll begin his work release program on Sept. 1, according to the disposition document.