Psychiatric Hospital Could Release Thomas Proesel, Who Pushed Snowboarder Off Aspen Chairlift
ASPEN, Colo. (CBS4) - The man who pushed a snowboarder off a chairlift at Aspen Highlands in 2016 could be released from a state psychiatric hospital, according to a the Aspen Times. The report states Thomas Proesel is due to be released from the hospital at the end of the month to stay at an apartment in the Pueblo area.
Aspen prosecutor Don Nottingham told the newspaper he will file a notice objecting to the limited, supervised release.
"I do plan on filing a written objection … based on the seriousness and dangerousness of the offense," Nottingham told the Aspen Times.
Proesel was found not guilty of assault on the snowboarder by reason of insanity. The snowboarder, Seth Beckton, was uninjured after falling about 25 feet from the chairlift into a pile of fresh powder.
A hearing on Proesel's release has not yet been scheduled, according to the Aspen Times. Proesel petitioned the court for his release in April 2018, but it was later withdrawn.