Brittany Marie von Stein



A teacher at Basalt High School was arrested Wednesday on a charge of alleged sexual contact with a minor, according to booking records at Garfield County Jail.

Brittany Marie von Stein, 26, of Carbondale, was charged with sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, a felony, a jailer in the booking office said. She was released after posting a $10,000 bond Wednesday evening.

Von Stein was taken to the jail Wednesday afternoon after an arrest on a warrant, according to the jailer. No information was immediately available on the circumstances of von Stein’s arrest.

Von Stein, who leads the choir programs, is a resident of Carbondale, which is why she was booked into Garfield County Jail.

The Basalt Police Department was leading the investigation of von Stein as of last week after receiving information from the Roaring Fork School District and an individual regarding a possible relationship between the teacher and a student at the school, Police Chief Greg Knott previously said. He declined to identify the teacher last week.

On Wednesday, Knott referred all inquiries to the 9th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. A prosecutor did not return a message left Wednesday from The Aspen Times.

Roaring Fork School District Superintendent Rob Stein said last week that von Stein was on leave for reasons that he wouldn’t discuss because it was a personnel matter. He said she would be replaced if she were unable to meet conditions necessary to return to her position this month.

“We need to know that no district policies have been violated in a major way or, if even in a minor way, we’ll have to take a look at that,” Stein said Friday.

He wouldn’t discuss the nature of the potential policy violation.

Von Stein was highly regarded after joining the Basalt schools in 2015 and heading the choir programs at the high school and middle school. She was credited with a drastic increase in the number of students participating in the program. As it grew, she focused on teaching at the high school.

Von Stein received the 2018 Outstanding Young Educator Award from the Colorado Music Educators Association.

“This prestigious honor is given annually to music educators in their first five years of teaching who have shown significant proficiency in the classroom and respect in their school community,” the education association said at the time.

Von Stein graduated from Ohio State University in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in music education and minors in vocal performance and theatre.

scondon@aspentimes.com