Cheyenne school shooting suspect, previously sexually abused minor

JOHNSTOWN, Colo. – An 18-year-old high school student from Cheyenne, Wyoming, arrested for allegedly threatening to shoot up his school, could face additional legal troubles as he was on probation for a sex crime committed in Colorado when he was 15 .

The student, Tyler Bathke, was convicted of sexually assaulting a 4-year-old girl in Johnstown in November 2022. The attack happened on New Year’s Day and the victim was the daughter of Bathke’s neighbors, Danielle and Cody Lewark. The teen was placed on probation for two years, which he was still serving when he was arrested on charges of making terroristic threats.

CHEYENNE HIGH SCHOOL INCIDENT

According to Cheyenne Police, the incident occurred on Thursday, September 26, around 1 p.m., at East High School in Cheyenne. one of which indicated there was going to be a school shooting.”

When officers arrived, they determined there was no gun, but found Bathke and confirmed “that threatening statements had been made.” Cheyenne police applied for an arrest warrant on Friday, September 27. Bathke turned himself in on Tuesday.

Cheyenne Police Chief Mark Francisco issued the following statement in a press release:

Bathke’s bond was set at $2,000 at his first court appearance in Cheyenne. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday, October 11.

2022 CONVICTION

“He traumatized everyone, and now he can traumatize Cheyenne,” Danielle Lewark said.

The Weld County mother once considered the Bathke family close friends. The families vacationed together and Bathke became best friends with Lewark’s son.

Lewark’s daughter was attacked when she went downstairs to get her pajamas. Lewark began to wonder where her daughter went after she disappeared for about eleven minutes. When the victim finally appeared, she told her parents that “it hurts when Tyler takes pictures.”

Lewark called on her husband to kick Bathke out of the house. After examining her daughter, Lewark said she found bruises and cuts on her hips, mouth and genitals. According to Lewark’s daughter, Bathke harassed and groomed her all evening, telling her, “Trust me, best friends are allowed to do this.”

Jaimie Williams Dawson

“She trusted him,” Lewark said. “It doesn’t matter that he was 15. It doesn’t matter if he was 40. The same thing happened. My daughter had a grown man on top of her and he forced her to do things she didn’t want to do, and he hurt her .

Bathke’s sexual exploitation charge was dismissed, but the Lewarks insisted the sexual abuse charge be upheld.

The court issued restraining orders against Bathke and his father. However, Bathke’s order had an exception, allowing the teen to still live in his home in Johnstown, across the street from the Lewarks. Arrest records show Bathke’s father violated the protective order in 2022. Additionally, the Lewarks claim he took photos of their daughter, harassed them and threw objects at their home.

“They never showed any remorse, just complete denial,” Lewark said.

Five months later the Bathke family moved to Cheyenne.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Just hours before the Lewarks spoke with Denver, they received an email from the Colorado Probation Department’s Victim Services. The email stated that a motion had been filed to revoke Bathke’s probation and that “a warrant had been issued” that would return him to Weld County.

We reached out to the Weld County District Attorney’s office to see if Bathke’s probation revocation meant he could face jail time, but they declined to comment because “it refers to a juvenile case.”

“Accountability in today’s society is something that is sorely lacking,” said Cody Lewark. ‘The first crime was in itself heinous and terrible. Now, in the second crime, he’s threatening to shoot up an entire school!’

The victim’s parents said they hoped for a few legal changes that could prevent future cases of abuse:

• They argued that there should be no exception to a restraining order allowing Bathke to live close to the victim.
• They argued that Bathke should not attend public school.
• They argued that Bathke’s parents should not have supervised his probation.

“I believe he needs treatment,” Lewark said. “Away from society until he can get real treatment that can help him, support him and hopefully put him on the right path.”

Cheyenne East High shooting suspect sexually assaulted a minor two years earlier