A former Cherry Creek School District teacher was arrested Monday on suspicion of child sex assault after a former student came forward, police said.
Robert Combs, 56, was arrested on investigation of five counts of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust and three misdemeanor counts of abusing public trust as an educator, according to Arapahoe County court records.
Combs was a CTE Engineering and Technology Teacher at Grandview High School, 20500 E. Arapahoe Road, between 2002 and late 2025, according to a letter sent to parents and families by the Cherry Creek School District.
The school district placed Combs on administrative leave in October 2025, when Grandview Principal Lisa Roberts was first made aware of the sexual assault allegations by the Aurora Police Department, police wrote in his arrest affidavit. Combs was officially “separated” from the school district on Nov. 13, according to the letter sent to parents.
“The safety and security of our students and staff is our highest priority,” school district officials wrote in the letter. “We appreciate your partnership in these critical efforts. We are committed to keeping you informed about all aspects of your child’s education.”
Aurora officers responded to Grandview High School on Oct. 30, after a former student reached out to Roberts to apologize for lying to her in 2022 and said they were considering reporting Combs, according to the affidavit.
The student previously denied having an inappropriate relationship with Combs to Roberts in 2022 after a security guard and other teachers came forward with suspicions about the nature of the two’s relationship, the affidavit stated. At that time, the student said Combs was “like a father.”
Roberts encouraged the student to report Combs and also contacted the Aurora Police Department in October to report the incident on her own, according to the affidavit.
The unidentified victim first met Combs in August 2021 when the student joined a high school club the man advised, the Technology Student Association, according to Combs’ arrest affidavit.
Other teachers at Grandview High School also recommended that the student reach out to Combs for assistance with getting into a military academy, police wrote in the affidavit. Combs helped the student with interview preparation, essay writing and physical training.
In February 2022, Grandview students and staff attended the association’s state conference in Denver, according to the affidavit. Combs allegedly encouraged the then-underage student to come back to his hotel room, where they kissed and he “expressed romantic feelings” for them.
The victim told Aurora Police they “felt shocked and unsure how to respond,” according to the affidavit.
Combs’ interactions with the student after the conference “became more frequent and increasingly inappropriate,” police wrote in the arrest affidavit.
The student would meet Combs after school to work on applications, and those meetings often turned intimate, the student told police. Combs also sent the student inappropriate photos and text messages.
Combs and the student had sex in classrooms, offices and closets at the high school almost every day between March 2022 and May 2022, according to the arrest affidavit. They would also drive to empty parking lots and have sex in cars.
The student told police that it felt like they “owed” Combs for his help, the affidavit stated.
Combs and the student’s relationship ended in December 2022, according to the affidavit. The student blocked his number and “ceased all contact” with Combs in February 2023, but didn’t come forward about the relationship until October 2025.
Police advised Roberts of the specific sexual assault allegations made toward Combs late that month, at which point Combs was suspended and escorted out of the school, according to the affidavit.
Combs is next scheduled to appear in court on March 20 for a preliminary hearing, court records show. He posted a $50,000 surety bail on Monday.
The relationship between the superintendent and the director of human resources is impacting the culture at one of Colorado’s most prominent school districts, according to multiple insiders and employees.
Several current and former employees of the Cherry Creek School District told Denver7 Investigates that the district has a toxic culture stemming from Superintendent Chris Smith and his wife, Chief Human Resource Officer Brenda Smith.
Insiders, who have come forward over the past three months, say that the relationship leaves employees with nowhere to go if they have complaints.
Three sources spoke to Denver7 Investigates in silhouette with their voices disguised because they feared retaliation. Roughly a dozen others decided not to go on camera out of fear of retaliation against them and their families, but they independently reinforced the comments of those who went on camera.
Cherry Creek is one of the largest districts in the state, boasting 53,000 students and more than 9,000 employees with a history of success in the classroom and on the athletic fields. Many of the schools have some of the highest ratings in the state on websites such as GreatSchools.org.
“I think people don’t feel safe. You can’t question the superintendent because his wife is head of HR,” one of the sources said during their on-camera interview. “I think it’s a huge problem and I think it hurts our students.”
Through open records requests and from inside sources, Denver7 Investigates has obtained nearly a dozen complaint letters circulating inside of the school district, including several sent directly to the elected school board. Some were signed while others were anonymously written. Sources said the anonymous letters are evidence of the fear of retaliation in the district.
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One eight-page letter from two district principals — sent more than a year ago — accuses Chris Smith of unprofessional conduct, retaliation against employees and misallocation of budgetary items, including expenses and salaries.
“I saw a lot of fear tactics, intimidation tactics. A lot of ‘my way or no way,’” the second source said in their silhouette interview.
After that letter sparked an investigation, district employees raised concerns regarding a potential conflict of interest created by the superintendent and his wife.
“People need to know what the leadership in Cherry Creek looks like and how people who push back or give feedback or disagree are pushed out,” the first silhouette source said. “I think the superintendent is leveraging his relationship with his wife as head of HR to make staffing and personnel decisions that benefit him.”
That letter from the principals also stated that “The Human Resources Department operates with the intent that people are guilty prior to an investigation. They refer to the conference room in their office as ‘the cry room.’”
“They have a room that they meet with employees that’s called the crying room. It’s nicknamed the crying room,” the second silhouette source said, adding that in her opinion, it’s the district’s goal to make people cry when called into that room. Others independently shared that opinion.
The district hired a law firm to investigate the accusations in the letter. It concluded that Chris Smith did not clearly violate district policy and was less definitive on claims of retaliation and misappropriation.
But the report did state that “Smith has exhibited unprofessional behavior,” and recommended “executive leadership training/coaching.”
“I think the only thing that can fix it is getting past the dirty little secret and making sure it’s not a secret anymore,” the first source said.
Regarding the husband-wife power structure in the district, the investigation concluded, “Even if there is not an actual conflict of interest, there is certainly a perceived one across the district that stems from the Smiths’ relationship, their high-level district positions and reporting structure.”
But it fell short of calling for a change. Instead, it states that “there is no direct evidence their relationship has impacted their actions or inactions.”
Expert weighs in
Michael Nalick, a management professor at the University of Denver and an expert on corporate structure, said he believes this relationship to be “a big problem.”
“The point is there is perceived impropriety just because of their positions,” Nalick said. “Whether or not they’re valid, it’s that perceived impropriety. Even if it doesn’t occur, it still negatively affects the organization.”
Nalick reviewed documents obtained by Denver7 Investigates and some testimonials from current and former employees.
One of those documents was a letter from the school board approving superintendent Smith’s hiring while his wife remained as head of HR.
That school board changed over in November after the most recent election.
Nalick said the board is complicit in the culture as they created a policy permitting this dynamic, and he suggested that change needs to happen.
“I would naturally say one of them has to go. You can’t continue to have both of them employed with that relationship,” Nalick said.
A third source who spoke to Denver7 Investigates in silhouette also laid blame on the school board for allowing this dynamic.
“The school board is very much aware of this controversy. For whatever reason it has made the decision to not take any action,” they said, referring to the district’s leadership dynamic.
Superintendent avoids questions
Denver7 Investigates made multiple attempts via email and text message to speak with Chris Smith to get his side of the controversy. Through the district’s media relations office, he denied all requests. He also did not acknowledge questions from Denver7 Investigates at a December school board meeting where multiple security guards were present, blocking Denver7 Investigates’ access to Smith and the school board.
At the end of the meeting, Chief Investigative Reporter Tony Kovaleski asked superintendent Smith if he would promise to answer his questions. Smith did not acknowledge the question and walked out a back door of the meeting room.
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Denver7 Chief Investigative Reporter Tony Kovaleski attempts to ask Cherry Creek School District Superintendent Chris Smith, far right, a question after a December School Board meeting while Smith exits through a side door.
The lack of comment did not come as a surprise to the first silhouette source who spoke to Denver7 Investigates.
“I don’t know that he has the courage to answer your questions honestly,” they said of Smith.
Denver7 Investigates also waited outside a scheduled meeting with district principals and managers last month. Chris Smith declined to come out and answer questions. An inside source provided a recording of part of that meeting that included Chris Smith saying that a news story would be coming out about him and that it was “probably not going to be the best story” about him.
The district did provide a three-paragraph response to interview requests, stating:
“Complaints against the district have been made by a small handful of employees who are resistant to Superintendent Smith’s leadership as it is moving the district in new and different ways. Consistently ranked as one of the top workplaces in the state, CCSD welcomes all opinions and all signed complaints are taken seriously. Each of the signed complaints provided were investigated thoroughly by independent counsel and all allegations were found to be baseless and unfounded.
The Board of Education has directed Superintendent Smith to share CCSD initiatives as well as learn from other innovative school districts and partner with forward-thinking organizations as we continue to pursue excellence for every student. This has led to the nationally-renowned Cherry Creek Innovation Campus, the opening of the nation’s first mental health facility for students, and the creation of the Aspiring Educator Pathway, Colorado’s first teacher apprenticeship program.
Brenda Smith was hired for her current role in early 2019 by a previous Superintendent, therefore was in her current position when the CCSD Board of Education made the decision to hire Superintendent Smith in April 2021. The Board of Education recognized that Brenda Smith should have the ability to continue her role and pursue her professional goals while Superintendent Smith is afforded the same opportunity. It was not seen as a conflict of interest then nor is it one today.”
In a follow-up exchange via email, a district spokesperson also noted, “There is no statute requiring public officials to agree to on-camera interviews with journalists.”
One of the sources said the fact that so many were speaking anonymously spoke of the concerns and issues in the district as well as the leadership in the organization.
“You have always told us if we had questions,if we had concerns, if we needed to talk, your door is open,” the source said of Chris Smith. “We have had to take to sending anonymous communications, doing secret interviews. What is it about your leadership that has gotten us to this point?”
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An Aurora Police Department sergeant who worked with school resource officers was arrested by the FBI on suspicion of child sex exploitation, police officials said Wednesday.
Aaron Bunch was arrested on federal charges related to sending and receiving child sexual abuse material online, Aurora police said in a statement.
Bunch was a supervisor of school resource officers, but there is no evidence that any students or children in Aurora Public Schools, Cherry Creek School District or the Aurora community were “impacted or victimized,” department officials said.
He was put on unpaid administrative leave, and the department launched an internal investigation into conduct and policy violations.
In a statement, Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain described the allegations as disturbing.
“This person has brought shame and disgrace to the badge and to an honorable profession,” Chamberlain said. “Such behavior undermines the trust and legitimacy that our officers work hard to earn every single day.”
