By Chad Abraham, From Aspen Daily News

A judge Friday denied a bond-reduction request by a Texas man accused of sexually assaulting a local woman at an Aspen lodge, despite his attorney saying he has no criminal history and is not a flight risk.

Peter Watkins, 40, would remain in Aspen if released from jail, allowing him to more easily appear for future court appearances, said defense attorney Beth Krulewitch of Aspen. Charged with a felony, he is being held in the Pitkin County Jail on a $50,000 bond.

The district attorney’s decision to prosecute the case “does not make my client guilty,” Krulewitch said. “We believe he will be found not guilty. He wants this resolved.”

But prosecutor Anne Norrdin said the alleged victim underwent a sexual-assault examination that showed mutiple bruises on her body. The woman told police Watkins held her down and raped her in March at the lodge where she works. They had become acquaintances when he stayed at the lodge for an extended period of time in 2014.

The woman “remains terrified of the defendant, and the prospect of him getting out and having contact with her,” Norrdin said.

Watkins has been in jail for four months since being arrested in the U.S. Virgin Islands on a warrant issued out of Aspen. His time behind bars included two months in a Caribbean jail where he was physically assaulted, Krulewitch said. The extradition process also involved him spending weeks in federal lock-ups in Puerto Rico and Oklahoma before he was brought to Aspen.

He never would have went to the Virgin Islands had he known a warrant for his arrest was about to be issued, Krulewitch said, adding he would have returned to Aspen and turned himself in. Watkins, who has vehemently denied the accusations, was cooperative with police and voluntarily surrendered his phone.

“Frankly, he believed that after the text messages were investigated,” no charges would be brought against him, Krulewitch said. “He was not running away.”

Watkins returned to Texas after his lease was up for his Aspen apartment in mid-March, and then took a vacation to the Caribbean.

Norrdin told Judge Gail Nichols of the 9th Judicial District that Watkins presents a “very significant community safety issue.” He’s charged with a serious offense that, if convicted, could result in a lengthy prison sentence — possibly as long as life because of state statutes concerning sex offenders.

No one has come forward on Watkins’ behalf with bond money nor assurances that they would help him make court appearances, Norrdin said.

Judge Nichols said she would like Watkins to be able to get out of jail because the prosecution will be lengthy. She said she accepted his contention that he wasn’t fleeing to the Virgin Islands.

But without financial proof that he can travel from Texas to Aspen for court hearings, there is a risk that he simply won’t return, she said. As for staying in Aspen, the judge said she doubted Watkins would be able to find a job in the offseason.

Krulewitch said he could put up $2,500 for a cash-only bond, but Judge Nichols said she wanted him to instead enlist a bond agency that could track him down in case he doesn’t show up.

Watkins can again seek a bond reduction at his Oct. 23 preliminary hearing, after which Judge Nichols will rule on whether there is enough evidence for him to stand trial.

For more on this story go to: http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/168335

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