Nicholas Madson
Introduction
Nicholas Madson is a 46-year-old teacher at CIVA Charter High School in Colorado Springs who was arrested on October 14, 2026, by Colorado Springs police and the FBI on a Florida felony charge of sexually soliciting a child online. The arrest capped a joint investigation with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office in Florida that began with a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about an adult man in Colorado communicating with a child in that state. Madson has been placed on leave by his school, faces one Florida felony count, and could face additional charges in Colorado as the investigation continues. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Background Information
Madson had taught at CIVA Charter High School, a Colorado Springs District 11 charter campus, since 2019, according to the school. The case against him began on September 9, 2026, when the Colorado Springs Police Department and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office opened a joint investigation after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children forwarded a tip concerning an adult male in Colorado talking with a child in Florida. A detective with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office identified the juvenile victim, who allegedly gave Florida deputies identifiable information about the suspect and said explicit videos and photos had been sent to him. Colorado Springs detectives used that information to identify the man as Madson.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Charged, not tried. Madson faces a criminal charge that has not been tested in court: he has been arrested and accused, not convicted, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
According to police, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office obtained an arrest warrant for Madson on a felony charge of soliciting a child for unlawful sexual conduct using computer services — a Florida statute aimed at adults who use online services to lure or entice children into illegal sexual conduct. Colorado Springs detectives and the FBI took Madson into custody on October 14, 2026, and the Gazette published a mugshot of him taken by CSPD at the time of the arrest. The victim, whose name has not been made public, is a Florida juvenile; investigators allege explicit videos and photos were exchanged during the online contact.
CSPD said additional follow-up investigations are ongoing to recover any additional evidence, and that criminal charges from Colorado could come based on what investigators find. The agency asked anyone who may have had inappropriate contact with the suspect, or anyone with information, to contact its tip line or Pikes Peak Area Crime Stoppers — language that signals investigators are checking whether other children were involved. Madson has no other publicly available criminal case history in Colorado or Florida, according to court records.
Public Reaction and Consequences
The school’s response was immediate: CIVA Charter High School confirmed Madson’s employment there since 2019 and said he had been placed on leave following the arrest. The arrest of a sitting teacher on an out-of-state child-solicitation warrant drew coverage from every Colorado Springs television station within hours, and the Gazette’s report was updated with the booking photograph. Because the warrant came from Florida, Madson’s first court appearance in Colorado was not a hearing on the charge itself but a fugitive-status review — the procedural step that sorts out how a person charged in another state will answer the charge. No statement from Madson or an attorney representing him appears in the fetched coverage.
The case also illustrates the multi-state architecture of child-exploitation investigations: a national tip line in one state, a county sheriff’s office in another, a local police department and the FBI in a third, with the charge filed where the victim lives rather than where the suspect teaches.
Current Status
Madson was set to appear before an El Paso County judge on Friday, October 16, 2026, for a first appearance reviewing his fugitive status after being charged in Florida. He faces one count of soliciting a child for unlawful sexual conduct using computer services in Florida, a third-degree felony under the statute investigators cited, and Colorado investigators say additional charges remain possible. The joint investigation remains open and active. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Impact on Their Career/Life
A teacher of seven years’ standing at CIVA Charter High School, Madson is on leave and effectively barred from the classroom while a felony child-solicitation charge is pending in another state. A Florida conviction on the third-degree felony count carries prison exposure and sex-offender registration, and any additional Colorado charges would run in parallel. For the school community, the case raises the questions that follow every teacher-arrest story: what the school knew, when it knew it, and whether any students were involved — questions investigators have not publicly answered beyond saying no Colorado charges have yet been filed.
Sources
- The Gazette (Colorado Springs), “D-11 teacher charged with online child exploitation in Florida,” October 15, 2026 — source
- KRDO NewsChannel 13, “Local teacher arrested for alleged online child exploitation with a minor in Florida,” October 15, 2026 — source
- KKTV 11 News, “Colorado Springs charter school teacher arrested, alleged online exploitation child,” October 15, 2026 — source
- KOAA News5, “Colorado Springs charter school teacher arrested for alleged online exploitation of a child,” October 15, 2026 — source