On April 18th, 2024, the Salida Police Department was contacted by the El Paso County Department of Human Services about a case that was previously sent to the Colorado Springs Police Department. A Salida Police Detective spoke with an El Paso County DHS case worker. During the conversation, he learned that a female reporting party had stated that she found a flash drive in her residence, which she shares with her husband Brandon Wells 42, of Hartsel. She looked at the contents of the flash drive and found several pictures of suspected juvenile female genital and underwear on it.
The reporting party believed these photographs were taken by Wells when he worked at the Boys and Girls Club of Chaffee County. The reporting party said she suspected the pictures were taken at the Boys and Girls Club because most of the pictures were of the genital area of juvenile females as they were climbing a rock wall at the Boys and Girls Club. The female also reported that she found a plastic bag containing several pairs of underwear ranging in size from children’s to women’s small. Because of how the photos appeared, she also suspected that Wells had a camera set up in the changing room of the Boys and Girls Club.
Salida Police Detectives began looking into the allegations. During the investigation, it was learned that Wells had resigned from the Boys and Girls Club in March of 2023 and no longer had access to the club after that. Salida Police Detectives obtained search warrants for a residence in Hartsel, Colorado. The Chaffee County Tactical Team, Buena Vista PD, Park County Sheriff’s Office, and Salida Police Detectives executed the search warrants collecting digital evidence. The Park County Sheriff’s Office Victim’s Assistance Team assisted with the relocating the family.
Salida Police Detectives interviewed Wells about the allegations. Once completed, Wells was released pending further investigation and the completion of arrest warrants. The next day, Wells was found deceased at his residence of an apparent suicide.
The Salida Police Department is still working on this case in order to notify potential victims and families. With the large amount of digital evidence, screening and processing will take some time. A lab in Colorado Springs is assisting us with the investigation. Once determined, we will be reaching out to the family of any local victims. There is no evidence of any public safety concern associated with the Boys and Girls Club at this time.
If you have any additional information that may assist in this investigation, please contact the Buena Vista Police Department at 719-395-8654 or Salida Police Department at 719-539-6880
