CHEYENNE, Wyo.—A Cheyenne man accused of threatening several people with a box cutter and steak knife and kidnapping his girlfriend has decided not to contest criminal charges.
The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports ( ) that 24-year-old Anthony Gonzales is expected to face five to seven years in prison on two counts of aggravated assault and one count of felonious restraint.
According to court documents, Gonzales in April threatened to cut several people, including two juveniles, with a box cutter and steak knife. He allegedly forced his partner of three years, Dawn Marquez, into a car and to drive to Weld County, Colo., where he allegedly attempted to kill her.
Marquez was able to alert a clerk at Town and Country Liquors in Cheyenne to her kidnapping. The clerk called police and gave a description of the vehicle.
Near Lucerne, Colo., Gonzales noticed an empty motel parking lot and told Marquez to pull over, documents show.
Marquez told officers that she pleaded with Gonzales not to kill her.
According to court documents, Gonzales told Marquez to walk 98 steps into a field and turn around. Gonzales then allegedly pushed Marquez into an irrigation ditch and told her, “This is where you die.”
He allegedly proceeded to force himself on top of her and grab her throat in an attempt to break her neck, according to court documents.
After a struggle, Marquez was able to escape and return to her car. She met Laramie County deputies at the state line at approximately 11:30 p.m.
Gonzales was apprehended by a Weld County sheriff’s deputy in Lucerne around the same time after he was seen waving down cars to get a ride. He was not charged in Weld County but instead was extradited to the Laramie County jail on April 28.
Laramie County Judge Thomas Campbell accepted Marquez’s plea Friday. Sentencing has not been scheduled.
———
Information from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle – Cheyenne,
