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Man charged in assaults denies allegations

John ColsonAspen, CO Colorado

ASPEN Aspen’s deputy district attorney, Gail Nichols, was mum last week on whether she plans to file additional charges Monday against Kevin A. Gibson, who stands accused of assaulting five people and breaking into two homes in the North Forty neighborhood June 9. But regardless of the charges filed with District Judge James Boyd Monday, the defendant says the police have the story all wrong and that he did not do many of the things he is accused of.Gibson also said during a recent interview at the Pitkin County Jail that one of the victims in the case is his ex-girlfriend who, despite the fact that there was a restraining order preventing him from contacting her, has repeatedly called him and who invited him over to her house on the night of the alleged attacks.Gibson, 38, of Aspen, was jailed June 9 after he allegedly broke into the homes of Caroline Pittman and Ted King, who both live on Narrow Way in the North Forty subdivision next to the Aspen Business Center. He remains in jail in lieu of a $16,000 bond.Court documents originally indicated he faced nine counts, with a potential to send him to prison for 30 years. But Nichols cut that to five counts, with a potential combined sentence of 17 years in prison, in a preliminary hearing that took place last week. She also said further counts may be filed at a later date.According to court documents, Gibson got in a fight with two unidentified men and an unidentified woman at Pittman’s house, severely injuring the woman, when Gibson went to the home at around 9:30 p.m. on June 9.Gibson then allegedly followed Pittman over to King’s house and broke down the door when King locked it after letting Pittman inside to hide. He then allegedly attacked Pittman and King both, before a neighbor’s telephone call brought Pitkin County Sheriff’s Department deputies to the scene.Gibson, speaking from his cell at the jail, said he had lived with Pittman “for months” until she was jailed briefly earlier this year on drug charges, and that the pair had been in contact recently in spite of court orders that they stay apart.According to Gibson, Pittman’s door on the night of June 9 “was wide open,” and he had talked with her twice on the phone before coming over at her invitation.He denied fighting with the men or with the woman, whom he identified as Emily Wodiuk, 23, and whom he said had been a friend of Pittman’s only a short time. He said the two women became friends while they were both serving jail sentences earlier this year, Pittman on drug charges and Wodiuk on bad check charges. Court records indicate the two were in jail earlier this year at the same time.Gibson said he had tried to keep his distance from Pittman, and at one point he initiated proceedings to obtain a restraining order against her, which he dropped before it was formally approved, one court official said. He indicated that Pittman was emotionally unstable, but also said she was “back in my life” after a brief separation.As for accusations that he has been “stalking” Pittman, as alleged by a friend of Pittman’s, Gibson said, “This is just insane.” He said he and Pitmann had made a pact at one point to stop drinking and using any drugs. But he said he had the impression that Pittman had been using drugs on June 9 and claimed he was trying to get drug paraphernalia away from her when he broke in the door at King’s house.He also admitted getting in a fight with King, but maintained that King started the argument that lead to the fight.An attempt to contact Pittman through a spokesman to talk about Gibson’s claims was rebuffed.John Colson’s e-mail address is jcolson@aspentimes.com

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