WESTMINSTER, Colo. A Mountain Range High School administrator accused of sending inappropriate photos to an underage student claimed the photos were meant to be sent to his wife, according to an arrest affidavit unsealed in the case Tuesday.
Tate Drane, 27, was arrested Monday on suspicion of inappropriate conduct with a child by Westminster police.
Arresting documents show Drane started sending photos of himself in various states of undress to an underage girl who was at a friends house for a slumber party Saturday night.
The girl, who received more than a dozen photos on Snapchat, told police the messages not only contained inappropriate photos, but also salacious texts from Tate, who she identified as a former PE teacher of hers while she was in middle school in 2021.
Drane, who was last employed at Mountain Range High School as a Dean for Students, is believed to also coach football at Thornton High School and girls basketball at Mountain Range High School, according to the affidavit.
The girl told police she first met Drane as a 6th grader during the time he taught PE. For the following two years, the girl would become Dranes assistant.
During that time, per the affidavit, Drane eventually asked the girl if she would be willing to babysit for him and exchanged phone numbers, but realizing that doing so was too risky, Drane and the girl decided to converse over Snapchat, the affidavit states.
The girl reportedly told Drane she would be willing to babysit for him if another friend of hers could join her while doing so, but Dane told the girl it would have to be just her, no one could be home and that they would have to go into a room, but no one could go with them, according to the affidavit.
In statements provided to police, the girl also told investigators that during the time she was his assistant, Drane asked her to help him put things away in an equipment room.
Once inside, [redacted] stated Tate grabbed her butt, would not let go and asked [redacted] how it felt, the affidavit states.
The girl told police she felt very uncomfortable by the incident but did not report it at the time.
Arresting documents show the victim started receiving more inappropriate messages over Snapchat, in which Drane asked for photographs of her and asked her to meet up at night. Some of those messages were comments that Drane was near her house or passing her house, but the girl told police she never provided Drane with her address and likely took that information from records kept by the school.
At one point, Tate told [redacted] not to tell anyone about them or their conversations. He said that if she did tell anyone [redacted] would go to "Juvi", he would go to jail and she would ruin his life because he has kids and a wife, according to the affidavit.
Mountain Range HS admin. allegedly sent 'inappropriate photos' to student
Investigators speak with the suspect
By Monday afternoon, investigators with Westminster police went to Dranes home in Lupton, where they met his wife, who told them he was with their daughter at a doctors appointment.
Once he was home and police spoke to him, Drane claimed that after a date with his wife on Saturday, he received a Snapchat message that said, something to the effect of come home. He told police he initially believed this was in response to a salacious message he sent her previously, before he sent some stupid photos.
The affidavit states that Drane told police he believed he had sent these photos to the Snapchat account he previously responded to, but claimed he then received threatening Snapchat messages from a group of girls saying that they would call 911.
Drane was later notified that his Snapchat account was changed and discovered messages he had sent were in fact sent to [redacted], according to the arresting documents.
During his interview with police, Drane told investigators he and the victim kept in contact more so than he should have had to, and added that he had discussed with his wife about going to the police to make a report about his Snapchat account being take over and the threatening messages he received after sending Snapchat messages to the wrong account.
When questioned by police about how he learned that the messages he sent were in fact sent to his former student, Tate could not explain, the affidavit states.
After further questioning by police, Drane admitted he did in fact intent for the nude photographs of himself to be sent to [redacted] and to (his wife).
Drane was also questioned about the incident in which he reportedly touched the girls buttocks inside an equipment room, but Drane denied this didnt happened and that, There should never have been a time with us alone.
He was then arrested and booked into the Adams county Jail.
He faces several charges, including sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust - victim under 15 years or pattern of abuse, internet sexual exploitation of a child - observe subject's intimate parts, and internet luring of a child.
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