Air Force Academy Professor Accused Of Luring Child On Internet

CENTENNIAL, CO — Investigators with the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office arrested an instructor at the U.S. Air Force Academy on the charge of internet luring of a child, a felony, the office announced Wednesday. Paul Sikkema, an Air Force captain, is being held without bond in the county jail, according to media reports.

Sikkema is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday morning, according to a log at the Arapahoe County Detention Center in Centennial.

Deborah Sherman, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office, said that Sikkema turned himself in to sheriff's deputies on Wednesday morning. Sikkema, 29, lives in Colorado Springs, she added.

A spokesman at the academy, in Colorado Springs, said that the school is tracking Sikkema's case as it goes through the legal process and will fully cooperate with the Arapahoe County sheriff, according to media reports.

Sikkema is a 2012 graduate of the Air Force Academy, and he joined the school's faculty in 2017 as a philosophy professor, according to Military.com, a news website that covers the U.S. military.

Under Colorado law, the charge of internet luring "typically entails an adult communicating via the internet to a child known to be under 15 years old, describing sexual conduct and attempting to arrange an in-person meeting," Military.com reported.

(Stay up-to-date on Littleton news with Patch! There are many ways for you to connect and stay in touch: Free Newsletters and Email Alerts | Facebook)