A Fremont County Sheriff’s Office deputy — the seventh this year — was placed on paid administrative leave Wednesday.

Detention deputy Sarah Brassfield, 37, of Cañon City, was arrested and charged with child abuse on Monday after she allegedly left two small children, whose ages are unknown, in a parked car, according to the arrest affidavit.

Brassfield, who was later released by the Cañon City Police Department, is accused of leaving her foster children in a Ford Mustang convertible that was sitting in the parking lot of the Department of Human Services. There, a bystander reported the scene to two people working at the front desk.

“The car had the roof up, but the two windows were rolled down,” the affidavit said, citing the witness. “Their faces were red and flustered from the heat.”

Additionally, the witness said, both of the children were sweating so much that their hair was matted and shirts were soaked.

The report, written by CCPD officer Ryan Belding, also said the children were taken into the DHS building and offered water.

“Sarah was in tears when I walked into the room, and she stated she has never done this before,” Belding wrote in the affidavit. “Sarah asked if she was going to be charged with child abuse.”

Brassfield also told Belding that she was at the DHS to meet with a case worker and lost track of time when she was talking to him.

“She was unaware of how long the children had been left in the car until she tried to leave at just before 1500 hours and was told that she needed to stay here and wait for an officer,” the affidavit said.

The temperature on Monday was 90 degrees and had mostly cloudy skies, according to AccuWeather.

After the incident, Brassfield was released and the children were returned to her, the affidavit said.

This is the seventh time an FCSO deputy has been placed on administrative leave this year. While some cases have resulted in criminal investigations and court cases, others have been dismissed, with officers returning back to work.

The first case was that of former Detective Robert Dodd, who was placed on leave in January — and retired April 23 — after evidence from a 2006 homicide was found in a personal storage unit that previously belonged to him.

The evidence, which was found by Cañon City resident Rick Ratzlaff after he purchased the unit in an auction, resulted in a Colorado Bureau of Investigation probe and later, charges of abuse of public records and two counts of second-degree official misconduct.

A second investigation into Dodd is also expected to be led by the CBI, this time into apparent evidence found May 17 in Penrose’s Phantom Landfill.

Dodd is set to appear in court for a pretrial conference 2:30 p.m. July 17.

One month after Dodd, Lt. Bruce Briscoe was placed on leave after the CBI launched an investigation into a relationship he allegedly had in 1999 with a 17-year-old girl.

According to the Custer County Sheriff’s Office, Briscoe allegedly was involved with the woman, who is now 35 years old, while he was a DARE officer at Custer County High School.

Because the District Attorney’s Office was unable to file charges, Briscoe has returned to his regular employment status.

In March, Patrol Officer Sgt. Arin Hart became the third officer to be placed on leave after he was accused of unfairly arresting people for driving under the influence.

Those accusations happened after Colorado State Patrol Trooper Gregory Muse wrote in a report that he believed Hart was arresting people who showed no signs of impairment for DUIs.

As of June, Hart was on leave pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation.

Two months later, Cpl. Brandon Tilley, 44, was placed on leave after he was arrested for child abuse and third-degree assault.

According to the arrest affidavit, a school nurse and counselor reported child abuse through the Department of Human Services after observing “substantial bruising” on a child’s buttocks and right leg.

The affidavit also details injuries including bruising and contusions examined on the child at St. Thomas More Hospital.

Tilley will appear in court for a pre-trial conference 1:15 p.m. July 18.

Deputy Tyler Mattson also was placed on leave in May after a complaint was filed with the sheriff’s office.

Mattson returned to regular duty, however, after an FCSO investigation found that allegations made against him were unfounded.

In June, Deputy Brody Koch became the sixth officer to be placed on leave after he allegedly misused force during an arrest.

In a news release, the FCSO wrote that placing officers on administrative leave in such cases is routine procedure and that he will remain on leave until the matter is concluded.

Sara Knuth: 719-276-7644, knuths@canoncitydailyrecord.com