David Anthony Morales was sentenced to one year of community corrections Monday as part of a plea deal for felony charges of failing to register as a sex offender.
The sentence will run concurrent with 36 months of supervised probation for related misdemeanor convictions of serving alcohol to and contributing to the delinquency of minors at a February 2025 party at the Twisted Griffin Pub and Restaurant. The sentence for that case, ordered in June, included 60 days of jail with work release and 100 hours of community service.
District Court Judge Juan Villaseñor ordered Morales to report to the Larimer County Jail Aug. 10.
Morales, 45, made no comment when given the opportunity before the sentencing at Monday’s hearing.
The prosecutor requested a sentence of 18 months, arguing the facts of the misdemeanor case are “extremely concerning” and indicated “almost certainly something sexual happening between Mr. Morales and those minors.”
Morales’ defense attorney asked for the lower sentence of 12 months, arguing that the other case had already been sentenced and instability in Morales’ living situation made it difficult for him to keep up with registration.
Villaseñor said that considering Morales is already on probation for the other case, that mitigates the need for a longer sentence.
Morales previously failed to register as a sex offender in Denver in 2023.
The Twisted Griffin party took place Feb. 21, 2025, just after the bar at 247 W. Elkhorn Avenue, where Morales worked as a chef, had permanently closed.
A total of 14 underage victims were identified and interviewed by the Estes Park Police Department, the Estes Valley Voice reported last year.
It was discovered during the investigation that Morales failed to register as a sex offender after moving out of Estes Park following the incident.
According to court records, Morales pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and attempted sexual assault in Weld County in 2010. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison, followed by 10 years of sex-offender-specific intensive supervised probation.
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