Editor's note: This story has been updated to report on the accused teen's first appearance in court Friday afternoon.
CASPER — A 17-year-old Casper girl made her first appearance in Casper Circuit Court Friday to face a felony charge, accused of stabbing of another 17-year-old girl on Halloween night Thursday.
Gabriella Aultman appeared on a video screen from the Natrona County Regional Juvenile Detention Center before Judge Kevin Taheri, with her parents in the courtroom.
Taheri told Aultman she was charged with aggravated assault for allegedly stabbing another teen and read off the teen victim’s initials.
He asked Aultman, who is charged as an adult, if she understood the charge against her.
“Yes, your honor,” she replied.
Aultman also told the judge she’s a senior at Roosevelt High School.
Natrona County Assistant District Attorney Joseph Cole asked the judge for a $100,000 cash or surety bond.
“This was a deliberate act,” he said. “We believe her to be a danger to the community if released on bond.”
When Aultman was asked by the judge what she wanted to say about her bond, she replied, “I don’t know what that means.”
The judge explained the bond, after which she replied she had nothing she wanted to say. Aultman also informed the court that she was on probation.
Aultman’s father said the bond amount would be concerning because it would prevent her from being able to continue counseling.
Judge Taheri agreed with Cole and set the bond at $100,000 cash or surety and told Aultman if she gets out, she is to have no contact with the victim in the case and remain in the custody of her parents.
“Yes, your honor,” she replied.
What Happened
Casper Police Department reported through a news release earlier Friday that officers responded to the 1500 block of North Poplar Street at about 9:30 p.m. Thursday to find a teen girl with an apparent knife wound to her abdomen.
“Life-saving measures were initiated, and the juvenile was transported to Banner Wyoming Medical Center in serious, but stable condition,” the CPD reported.
Police department spokesperson Amber Freestone said the victim was also a Casper resident, and that she could not release any information other than what the department put out in its initial report.
That says that witnesses identified a “suspect vehicle” that was quickly located and stopped by “partnering law enforcement agencies.” Three juveniles were in the vehicle and the suspect was interviewed by detectives and arrested.
The charge of aggravated assault carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. An affidavit in the case was not immediately available.
The stabbing is the latest in growing list of juvenile incidents involving weapons and violence in the community.
• Police responded to a juvenile male shot Oct. 19 in the 3200 Block of Hamilton Way. A juvenile suspect has been identified, but no further information on the case has been released, including if criminal charges have been brought against the alleged suspect.
• On Sept. 25, Casper police arrested an 18-year-old suspect in the July 4 shooting at a Casper park that sent a male victim to Banner Health Medical Center with a nonlife-threatening gunshot wound.
• A 19-year-old pleaded not-guilty Thursday in Natrona County District Court to a pistol-whipping and shooting incident in the early hours of Aug. 31.
• On Aug. 12, a 15-year-old fired four rounds from a pistol into a mobile home where residents were sleeping, saying: “I hope I killed one.”
• A then 15-year-old male allegedly shot his ex-girlfriend in the head and killed her adjacent to a park in Casper on May 14. He is scheduled for a change of plea hearing this month.
• Two teens await trial in the April 7 stabbing death of 14-year-old Bobby Maher.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
