By Chad Abraham, From Aspen Daily News

A Texas man charged with sexually assaulting an Aspen woman appeared in court Friday after he was extradited from the Caribbean.

Bond for Peter Duane Watkins, 40, of Naples, Texas, was set at $100,000 for the felony assault charge.

The woman reported the alleged crime to Aspen police detective Rick Magnuson on March 9, two days after she said she was raped at a local lodge where she works.

The alleged victim, 64, told Magnuson that she considered herself to be a “substitute mom” to Watkins. He and his wife stayed at the lodge from October until December of last year.

During that time, the woman came to know Watkins, who was apparently separating from his wife, and would give him advice.

“[She] told me that she would go out for a drink with Watkins or go for walks with him to try to help him,” Magnuson wrote in the arrest warrant. “[She] stated that although she was friendly toward Watkins, she never had any romantic interest in him or gave him that impression. [She] told me that Peter Watkins was depressed because his wife left with their baby and returned to their home in Texas, where they are from.”

According to the warrant, Watkins went to Texas for a short time before returning to Aspen.

On March 7, she told police that she drank two glasses of wine, stating it was a large amount for her. Watkins allegedly texted her that he was having suicidal thoughts, so she let him into her apartment out of concern for his mental health.

While in the apartment, he started taking her clothes off despite her telling him to stop, Magnuson wrote.

“I remember saying, ‘Don’t do this. Pete, stop, don’t do this,’” she told the detective.

Magnuson asked her if she ever gave consent, and the woman shook her head while crying. “I asked, ‘He did that against your will?’” the warrant says. The woman nodded, saying Watkins didn’t hit her but held her down.

A nurse at Aspen Valley Hospital on March 9 performed a sexual assault examination and found that the woman had bruises on her arm, leg and other areas.

During the investigation, Magnuson had the alleged victim text Watkins, using a police officer’s phone, to see if he would admit to the crime.

“Why did you rape me when you knew I didn’t want it?” the woman wrote.

Watkins responded, according to the warrant, “i did not rape you … you know that. what did you not want? you told me you wanted to have sex with me … i told you for whatever reason God had led me to you and if you wanted to i was willing … you told me you wanted to.”

On March 10, Watkins went to the police department but declined to speak about the incident, Magnuson wrote. He later obtained a search warrant for the defendant’s phone.

Watkins texted his wife on March 7 at around 9:30 p.m. that he was thinking about having sex with the alleged victim. Magnuson wrote that he spoke to Watkins’ wife, who told him that she didn’t believe he had raped the woman and that she believed the woman was in love with him.

The alleged victim told Magnuson that she has changed her phone number twice to avoid the couple. In court Friday, prosecutor Andrea Bryan said Watkins’ wife is harassing the woman on behalf of the defendant.

“The victim is concerned about what could happen if the defendant is simply released,” Bryan said.

She asked for the “very high bond” of $100,000 because of the potential lengthy sentence Watkins faces — if he’s convicted, the term could be anywhere from two years to life in prison or 10 years to life on probation — and the fact that he was extradited from St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. A law enforcement source said Watkins was arrested six weeks ago on St. Thomas and spent time in jails there and in Puerto Rico before being returned to Colorado.

Watkins said he spoke with Magnuson several times before going to the Caribbean, where he is considering a career in the charter trip industry. He said he believed that, based on the evidence, the charge would be dropped.

“I’ve never been a threat or a danger to anyone,” he told Judge Gail Nichols. “If I had known that he had actually issued the warrant, I would’ve made it back here. … I’m not a flight risk.”

Watkins, who doesn’t have a criminal record, said he wants the case involving “false allegations” resolved and asked for a public-recognizance bond.

Nichols denied his request, citing Watkins’ lack of a job and that he doesn’t live in Colorado, in addition to the extradition matter. The judge also signed a mandatory protection order for the alleged victim.

Watkins is next due in court on July 20, when he can request a bond reduction.

For more on this story go to: http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/167439

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