(COLORADO SPRINGS) — A trooper with the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) has been arrested on charges of alleged sexual exploitation of a child.

According to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD), an investigation was launched in February 2025 after the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit received information from the National Center for Missing and Endangered Children (NCMEC) that a person was downloading child sexual abuse material via the internet.

CSPD said the investigation revealed the person lived in Colorado Springs and was a trooper with CSP. On Wednesday, Sept. 10, 42-year-old Luke Zellman was arrested on a charge of Sexual Exploitation of a Child and booked into the El Paso County Jail.

CSP confirmed Zellman is a trooper and has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Zellman joined CSP in March 2014, and his first duty station was in Steamboat Springs. He transferred to the Colorado Springs Troop Office in September 2017.

“The Colorado State Patrol and its members are committed to ensuring the safety of all persons and to adhering to our core values of honor, duty, and respect. We take these standards seriously and recognize that the success of our mission depends upon maintaining the trust and the safety of the public we serve,” CSP wrote in a statement. “We respect and defer to the Colorado Springs Police Department and the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office regarding the ongoing investigation.”

This is an ongoing investigation, and anyone with additional information about this case is asked to contact CSPD at (719) 444-7000.