A Fort Carson soldier accused of possessing over 28,000 child sexual abuse images and videos faces 49 new charges, including several counts of sexual assault on a child, court records obtained by The Gazette show. Sgt. 1st Class Marquez Parker, 39, is charged with 14 counts of sexual assault on a child less than 15 years old with a pattern of abuse. He also faces 28 counts of sexual exploitation of a child and seven counts of aggravated sex offense, all relating to at least one victim younger than 12 years old. Parker was arrested Nov. 13 at Fort Carson once law enforcement obtained a warrant after discovering Parker allegedly possessed and distributed a large quantity of child sexual abuse materials. The new charging documents outline 15 occurrences from October 2023 to February 2024 in which Parker allegedly both had unlawful sexual contact with a child less than 15 years old and created child sexual abuse material of a child younger than 12 years old. All of the charges provide a date of the offense, except one that has a 10-day range, but it is unclear whether the charges on the same day are for the same child. It is also unknown how many children are involved in the case. Parker’s arrest affidavit from November indicates the investigation began early in 2025 after a tip led Fountain police to execute a warrant to search his residence in March. The prosecutor said a second warrant was executed in November, although a specific date was not given. Fort Carson’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID), under the Department of the Army, took over the investigation later that month and arrested him on post in November, the prosecution said during a Dec. 18 hearing. Fountain police handing over investigations involving soldiers to CID is normal procedure, a city spokesperson told The Gazette in November. At some point, CID requested Colorado Springs police take the lead in the investigation because the city’s police force is the state’s lead agency for the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The arrest affidavit also alleges that Parker had a sexual relationship with a child in a different state, which the FBI was investigating. The FBI did not respond to a request to clarify the status of its investigation. A judge issued a protection order for that child during a status conference last month. An additional order from the judge allowed Parker to have supervised visits with his children after he was initially prohibited from contacting anyone under 18. The judge also set a new bond of $250,000 after prosecutors introduced additional charges, following his original $25,000 bond. Parker has posted both bonds. Prosecutors dropped the two sexual exploitation of a child charges Parker initially faced, relating to distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material, according to court records. CID and CSPD confirmed to The Gazette that their investigation into Parker remains ongoing, with CSPD as the lead agency. Neither law enforcement agency could provide any more details on the case. Parker waived his right to a preliminary hearing within 35 days of his arrest during his court appearance Monday, during which a judge set that hearing for Feb. 18. Parker’s first assignment to Fort Carson was from 2017 to 2020 and he has been there since 2023, his attorney said during the Dec. 18 hearing. He planned to extend his time in the area and renewed a two-year lease in October. Parker is assigned to the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, a Fort Carson official previously told The Gazette. He works as a 91M Bradley Fighting Vehicle System Maintainer. The sergeant 1st class is a recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal and has earned 12 other military awards across his 15 years of service. The Pentagon did not respond to several requests by The Gazette for Parker’s full service record. ...read more read less