Jan. 10—A former Clovis occupational therapist is facing new charges of creating child sexual abuse material and having inappropriate sexual contact with children, court records show.
Jared Cordum, 29, was arrested in July on charges of sexually assaulting three boys over about a year while working as an occupational therapist.
But an October grand jury indictment featuring several new charges allege Cordum’s misconduct dates back further — and in some instances happened in his own recreational vehicle.
The new charges include criminal sexual contact of a minor, solicitation to commit criminal sexual penetration, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, manufacturing visual medium of sexual exploitation of children and voyeurism, according to court records.
The new charges were filed after three new victims came forward or were identified through further investigation, resulting in two additional cases. New Mexico Department of Justice spokesperson Chelsea Pitvorec said in a written statement that the total number of alleged victims in the July and October cases now totals six.
“The bravery of the children and the families that have come forward in these cases against Mr. Cordum is commendable, and their willingness to share their experiences will be paramount to holding Cordum accountable for the harms he has done to children,” Attorney General Raúl Torrez said in a written statement.
Albuquerque defense attorney Christopher Marlowe emphasized Cordum is still entitled to due process and that “we’re still in the middle of the investigation on these cases.
“We are looking forward to a fair and just resolution for all the parties involved,” he said.
A jury trial in Cordum’s original case is scheduled for Feb. 24, but Marlowe said he expects that to be rescheduled.
Cordum surrendered his occupational therapy license Aug. 29, Regulation and Licensing Department spokesperson Andrea Brown said in an email.
Of the two new cases, Cordum is accused of having had inappropriate sexual contact twice with a boy he was tutoring during the 2021-2022 school year, according to a pretrial detention motion.
After the second incident, authorities allege, Cordum threatened he would tell everyone the boy was “gay” in an effort to keep the child from speaking out.
“[The child] disclosed he was scared and felt sick about what happened, so he did not tell anyone,” the motion reads.
That silence was only broken after Cordum’s arrest in July, according to the motion.
In the second new case, the state Department of Justice served search warrants on Cordum’s home and cellphone turned up several instances of child sexual abuse material he allegedly created using household surveillance cameras, according to the motion. The material captured two boys, authorities allege.
Esteban Candelaria is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. He covers child welfare and the state Children, Youth and Families Department. Learn more about Report for America at reportforamerica.org.