Updated at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025.
The man accused of sexually assaulting five women, two of whom were minors, and two others under his supervision, has been found guilty of 13 counts of sexual assault.
The verdict in the trial for Kamron Barnaby, a former fire captain in Colorado, came a week after the trial’s start and a little less than one day of jury deliberations.
Barnaby, 33, was charged with sexually assaulting the women from 2018 to 2021 while he was a fire captain for Hygiene, a small town in unincorporated Boulder County. He faced 17 total counts, 13 of which involved his alleged sexual assault, unlawful sexual contact and sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust, among others.
Barnaby was handcuffed and remanded to the Department of Corrections as soon as the court was adjourned.
Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said all the victims were in the courtroom for the majority of the trial and were present when the verdict was read.
“It’s been our honor to fight for justice for each of these five victims, and I can tell you they’re overjoyed and relieved to have guilty verdicts on all counts,” Dougherty said.
The argument came down to whether the women and two minors consented.
The defense argued that the women all consented to the sexual interactions. Through testimony from victims, an expert witness who spoke to the complicated nature of experiencing and reporting sexual assault, and others involved in the department, the prosecution argued that Barnaby abused his position of power and, repeatedly, sexually assaulted multiple women.
A week of emotional testimony included recollections of one of the victim’s sexual assaults when she was 16 years old, and he was 28. That victim’s father had been a volunteer firefighter at the station, which is how she met Barnaby. She said she had viewed him as an “older brother” and “role model.”
Position of power
During closing arguments, the defense questioned why the women didn’t come forward sooner.
In the prosecution’s rebuttal, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said many of the victims didn’t fully share their stories because they feared it would ruin their careers — and that they didn’t think they would be believed. Ultimately, more women came forward after they heard about allegations from other women, he said.
Dougherty emphasized to the jury Barnaby’s position of power and trust — and how it affected the women’s willingness to speak up about their experiences, sharing a quote from one of the victims.
“Growing up, you're taught if you're raped, call 911. But what happens when the person raping you is 911?” the victim said.
“He used the fire department as his own personal playground to access and victimize these young women over and over and over again, and this statement, this question, in some ways captures part of why the victims delayed coming forward, but also why what the defendant did is so outrageous in using his power and his control to victimize them and to keep them silent for as long as they were,” Dougherty said.
The other minor in the case was a 17-year-old intern, whom the prosecution said Barnaby also sent inappropriate messages and photos to, and ultimately sexually assaulted in July 2019. During cross-examination, Barnaby admitted to the photos, but said he did not have sex with her until after she turned 18.
“She’s in high school,” Dougherty said during closing statements. “He’s her boss. My God, it doesn’t get more obvious.”
Defense argues it was consensual
On Monday, Barnaby took the stand. His counsel argued that somebody guilty of these charges wouldn’t have been willing to be cross-examined.
Throughout the trial, the defense tried to draw a distinction — that Barnaby wasn’t a criminal, but a womanizer who made “morally” poor choices.
“He had immoral, but consensual sexual encounters,” one of his attorneys, Eric Zale, said during closing arguments.
“Womanizing behavior is horrible. There's no excuse for it. We're not trying to excuse any of that behavior. It is not the same thing as sexual violence. It's not the same thing as a sex assault. It's not the same thing as rape,” James Merson, his other attorney, said at the beginning of the trial.
The fire department conducted an internal investigation into Barnaby in 2021. The internal report included interviews with several female firefighters who “spoke about sexual harassment or unwelcomed sexual advances.” Barnaby was not fired and instead was allowed to resign.
During that time, he continued to work at Mountain View Fire Protection District. He was placed on unpaid administrative leave after his arrest in 2023.
“That hierarchy in a male-dominated culture, such as the fire department, made it really difficult for the victims to come forward, and it’s my hope that this sends a clear message to agencies that are set up in that way. That sexual harassment and sexual abuse can never, should never, must never be tolerated and they should have systems in place to ensure that when it does happen that it's brought to the immediate attention of law enforcement,” Dougherty said after the verdict was read on Tuesday afternoon. “That did not happen here, and it made the process for the victims even more difficult.”
Barnaby will be sentenced Feb. 27, 2026.
Editor's note: This article was updated with statements from Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty.
