Melissa Malone's Legal Defense

Hello there,

My name is Melissa Malone, and I am seeking your aid to help pay my legal fees from a traumatic and life-altering incident. On February 18, 2021, amidst my law enforcement cadet training with the Highlands Ranch Law Enforcement Training Academy, I was allegedly sexually assaulted by a fellow cadet and, at the time, a friend.

I determined the right thing to do was to come forward with my story. After reporting the alleged sexual assault to my sergeant, I was led to believe I would get help from law enforcement; instead, the investigation quickly turned on me, and I am now the one being prosecuted. I was treated almost immediately as if I had done something wrong. I was asked what I was wearing that night. I was asked whether I was concerned that I could be ruining my alleged rapist’s career. In short, I was nearly immediately investigated instead of supported by my law enforcement agency.

After I found out I was actually being prosecuted for what the state asserted was a false report, my legal team made lengthy efforts with the district attorney to help me. They specifically requested that the Colorado Bureau of Investigation investigate the matter objectively.

Unfortunately, the district attorney had no empathy for my story. The district attorney (now running for Attorney General of the State of Colorado) refused to discuss the blatant conflict that the same law enforcement agency my alleged attacker was employed by conducting the entire investigation without even referring it to internal affairs. Worse yet, the district attorney refused to refer it to an outside and unbiased investigative agency and is now pressing the prosecution with the full force of his office – assigning a Chief Deputy to prosecute me only after my attorneys sent him a letter asking for an unbiased investigation.

So here I am now, fighting for my truth to be known. I am fighting this extreme injustice and standing up to a man and his cronies who dare to support alleged rapists in uniform over their victims. But, I can’t do this alone. I need help to win this fight. I need money to support my legal defense. Any donation will help me get justice and those who choose to come forward about sexual assault in the future.