City Responds to Grand Jury Indictments
Retired building inspector Erik Peltonen will receive financial support from the City of Aspen in order to obtain expert legal counsel on his behalf. Peltonen has been criminally indicted in a carbon monoxide case that involved the death of four people in a Pitkin County home.
“While we regret the tragic loss suffered by the Lofgren family, we also believe that criminalizing building inspectors is a major shift in policy that should vigorously be contested by Mr. Peltonen,” said Aspen Mayor Mick Ireland. “Given the novel issues presented in this case, it is important for Mr. Peltonen to obtain expert counsel on his behalf in this matter.”
The cost of Peltonen’s defense will be shared with Pitkin County, although details and numbers have not been decided yet. Although a City employee at the time, Peltonen aided the county during the inspection of the home built in 2005.
“I have been overwhelmed with the local support I have received,” Peltonen, a 40- year local, said at his Basalt home on Wednesday. “Countless contractors, architects and other building professionals, plus so many friends and acquaintances, have offered words of encouragement, and I really appreciate it.”
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