The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
90 days of jail time
[ By Mark Reaman ]
A Crested Butte man received some jail time and must register as a sex offender in connection with a 2019 incident in which he allegedly arranged online to attempt to have sex with two children under the age of 15 at a hotel in Glenwood Springs. Thirty-eight-year-old Jan Blewett was sentenced in Garfield County district court on Tuesday, March 8 after pleading guilty to two counts of soliciting child prostitution. The charges are a class four felony. Six other felony charges were dismissed by the district attorney.
Blewett was part of a sting operation conducted in September of 2019. Nine men were arrested over two days after they communicated with undercover agents to negotiate prices for sex with children. When they showed up at the Glenwood Springs hotel meeting place, allegedly to engage in the criminal activity, they were arrested, Garfield County sheriff Lou Vallario explained in 2019. As part of the sting, Blewett and the others were communicating with police agents rather than guardians of the two girls, ages 13 and 14, being presented for paid sexual activity, as the men apparently believed.
At the time of his arrest, Blewett was a full-time firefighter with the Colorado River Fire Protection District in Rifle and a part-time firefighter with the Crested Butte Fire Protection District. He was originally charged with eight felonies.
Deputy public information officer for the Colorado Judicial Department Jon Sarche explained Blewett had pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted child prostitution-soliciting (18-7-402(1)(a) in the Colorado Revised Statutes).
Sarche said Blewett was sentenced to five years of supervised probation, 90 days of jail (with credit for three days of time already served), 80 hours of community service, and he was ordered to register as a sex offender. According to the court’s sentencing order, Blewett must also pay $7,436 in costs and fines associated with the case. He is also prohibited from having contact with minors until approved by his treatment team.
