Former CNCC staff member arrested in sting operation

RANGELY — A former staff member at Colorado North-western Community College was arrested for allegedly trying to solicit a 13-year-old girl online.
Craig Dowen, 47, was arrested Aug. 8 at his home in Tooele, Utah, southwest of Salt Lake City. He was released Aug. 11.
When searching his home, officers found dozens of marijuana plants in the basement, some as tall as 5 feet, along with an elaborate greenhouse operation.
Dowen was investigated by the Utah Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
According to an article in The Salt Lake City Tribune, an investigator for the Utah Attorney General’s Office, Ken Wallen-tine, referred to Dowen as an “aggressive” predator, who had solicited three undercover officers online.
The 13-year-old girl Dowen supposedly was going to meet at a shopping center was actually an undercover officer.
John Boyd, president of CNCC, said of Dowen, “That was way before my time and (I) know little about him; apparently, he did all right while he was here and was not involved in anything that we know of.”
Dowen, a 20-year career soldier, joined the Utah National Guard in 2002. He was chief marketing specialist for the guard.
Maj. Hank McIntire of the Utah National Guard, told The Salt Lake City Tribune, “We are absolutely shocked and disturbed by these allegations. If the accusations prove true, we categorically reject such behavior as absolutely contrary to what the guard stands for.”