A man from Northglenn faces 20 years in prison and a lifetime on sex offender registration after submitting “young women” to sexual servitude, the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said.

The same man faces sentencing in a similar case in Boulder County later this month.

Adams County District Court Judge Jeffrey Ruff sentenced 52-year-old William Tidwell Wednesday after the man pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault on a child, second-degree assault, human trafficking and sexual exploitation of a child, according to a press release from the district attorney’s office.

Tidwell was the subject of an “extensive” investigation by the Northglenn Police Department, the FBI, as well as agencies in Boulder, Clear Creek County and Idaho Springs.

Through the investigation, the agencies found that between July 2020 and July 2023, Tidwell “maintained a structured environment of fear and submission, where victims were forced to follow strict rules and endure physical and sexual abuse,” according to the release.

While the names of the victims were not released, the district attorney’s office said Tidwell controlled their finances, movements and personal lives.

Investigators found that he targeted vulnerable individuals, particularly young women in difficult life situations.

Tidwell also was found with thousands of illicit images and videos on his computer, including child sexual abuse materials. He also sought out minors online, according to the release.

Evidence also found that Tidwell profited off of sex work from some of the individuals. 

While the district attorney’s office did not note when the investigation began, Tidwell was arrested by the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office after a July 25, 2023 incident.

During the incident, Tidwell allegedly picked up a woman hiker while posing as a search and rescue worker in the area of Caribou Road and Forest Service Road 505 in unincorporated Boulder County, outside of the town of Nederland.

Tidwell was allegedly driving what the victim thought to be a  “search and rescue” vehicle, a Boulder County Sheriff’s Office press release said.

The man offered to take her to a different trail. Once in the vehicle, he sexually and physically assaulted her. She was eventually able to leave and report to the sheriff’s department, the release said.

Tidwell was eventually arrested and booked into the Boulder County Jail on charges of unlawful sexual contact by force, second degree assault and impersonation of a public servant.

The suspect eventually pleaded guilty to sexual assault charges in the case and is set to be sentenced on March 14. The sentencing is set to run consecutively to the Adams County sentencing, a spokesperson with the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office told The Denver Gazette. 

“This was a calculated predator who built a system of control designed to exploit and abuse young women,” District Attorney Brian Mason said in the release. “He preyed on vulnerable individuals, using lies, intimidation and violence to manipulate his victims into submission. His actions were outrageous, and he richly deserves the prison sentence he received today.”