Alleged attack at Aspen school leads to felony charges

A Carbondale man who allegedly attacked a custodian Sunday at Aspen Elementary School was charged Friday with burglary and second-degree assault, according to court records.

Cesar Gonzalez, 24, underwent a mental health evaluation after he was arrested for the offenses. He later admitted to ingesting LSD while allegedly ranting unintelligibly about entering a “portal” and fighting someone “in this other dimension in a different world,” according to a warrantless affidavit filed in Pitkin County District Court.

Both charges filed Friday by the District Attorney’s Office are felonies.

The incident occurred about 6:30 a.m. Sunday when the 61-year-old custodian was at work in the elementary school’s cafeteria.

“(The man) told me he was fixing a drinking water fountain when his attacker jumped on him from behind and choked him by placing him in a chokehold or neck restraint,” according to report from a Pitkin County sheriff’s deputy in the affidavit. “(The custodian) thought at first it was a fellow employee playing around with him.”

He quickly realized the situation was serious, however. The custodian went down to his knees and nearly lost consciousness before he began to fight back and wrestle Gonzalez, who is listed as 5 feet, 6 inches and 112 pounds in the police report. The man was able to pin Gonzalez down by his neck, though Gonzalez broke loose and ran out the school’s front door, according to the affidavit.

“When (the custodian) was asked whether or not this attack caused pain, (he) replied, ‘Oh my god, yeah. I feared for my life,’” the affidavit states. “(He) told me his attacker was determined to do damage and take him out.”

The man suffered large abrasions to both knees and one elbow and was bleeding from his ear, according to the deputy’s report in the affidavit.

An Aspen police officer later arrested Gonzalez in Aspen.

jauslander@aspentimes.com