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Abstracted from story by Jason Pohl, Coloradoan
July 5, 2016
— In a story published July 29
th
, a former Northern Colorado teacher who sued the school district, saying it downplayed abuse she incurred from a special needs student, now faces felony charges after she tried to kill her ex-husband.
Officers responded to reports of a disturbance about 7 AM July 5 th in the 6400 block of Edgeware Street, near Fossil Creek Park in south Fort Collins.
Dan Giesler told officers his ex-wife, 48-year-old Carrie Giesler, came to his home wearing a wig and sun glasses and asked for directions. Moments later, he recognized the woman through the disguise as his ex-wife, at which time she pulled out a stun gun. A scuffle ensued in the doorway of Dan Giesler's home, he tried to disarm her, the stun gun went off and he was shocked in the hand.
He managed to flee to a neighbor's home and had them call police. Meanwhile, Mrs. Giesler stayed inside his house for about five minutes before she fled on foot.
Responding officers found a wig, sunglasses and green gardening gloves in the ex-husband's home. They also located blood in the kitchen, entryway, driveway, and basement.
Dan Giesler filed for divorce in 2013 and the two were supposed to appear for a custody hearing later in the morning of her assault.
Mrs. Giesler later that morning went to the Weld County Courthouse for the custody hearing where deputies detained her until officers could speak with her. She told them she knew she shouldn't have gone to the home but said she wanted to discuss the custody arrangement before going to court.
“Carrie said she does not remember what she did while she was still in the house after Dan left,” police wrote. She said she remembered her nose bleeding, and she remembered the stun gun going off, though she couldn't recall when exactly it happened. But she denied wearing the disguise.
Based on their initial investigation, police arrested her on suspicion of misdemeanor assault, domestic violence, and second-degree burglary — the latter was the only felony count initially. However, additional evidence and testimony suggested Mrs. Giesler was actually plotting to kill her ex-husband.
Mrs. Giesler posted a $5,000 bond July 6 th , hours after she was arrested. She appeared in court the following Thursday for a status conference, at which time she was remanded into custody due to the formal filing of the attempted first-degree murder after deliberation charge — a Class 2 felony. A judge set her cash bond at just $10,000, which she posted later that day.
Carrie Giesler refused two plea bargain offers and in April 2018 a jury found her guilty of third-degree assault, a Class 1 misdemeanor, and burglary, a Class 3 felony, including domestic violence. However, she was found not guilty of attempted murder.
On June 21, 2018, Judge Devin Odell sentenced her to 90 days in jail, 5 years probation, and domestic violence treatment. In addition, she must perform 200 hours of community service.
Carrie Giesler first achieved notoriety when she made international headlines after she filed a civil suit on October 20, 2015, against the Thompson School District in Loveland. She had been a full-time contractual teacher for the 2014-15 school year and was directed by school officials to work exclusively with a special needs student at Turner Middle School, according to the suit.
The student reportedly lashed out against her multiple times over a span of several months. She claims the student hit her, tried to stab her with screws and broken glass, destroyed the class room and left her with serious scratches, bruises and an arm injury that required surgery.
The civil suit called for compensation for damages including lost wages and benefits as well as pain and suffering. That case is ongoing.
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