Teen arrested in 2 attempted sex assaults at Monarch ski area

Photo: Monarch Mountain ski area (AP Photo)
In this December 2013 photo provided by Ski Monarch in Monarch, Colo., a skier takes a run on a snowy mountain at the resort.

A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with two attempted sex assaults at the Monarch Mountain ski area.

The Chaffee County Sheriff's Office arrested the boy in Monument Tuesday. He isn't being identified because he is a juvenile.

The sheriff's office says the investigation is continuing but no other arrests are expected.

The attempted assaults happened on Dec. 19 and Jan. 1 and both involved teen girls. In both cases, the sheriff's office says the suspect rode the ski lift with the victims, followed them down a ski run and forced them into the woods to try to sexually assault them. In the second attack, he fired a handgun. Both girls escaped.

The sheriff's office has been criticized for waiting until after the second attack to notify the public.