A former Ouray woman was ordered Thursday to spend two years on probation for retaliating against a woman who accused her son of sexual assault in 2023.

Kristyn Trujillo must also perform 96 hours of public service. She declined to address the court before Seventh Judicial Chief District Judge Cory Jackson handed down her sentence.

A jury on March 26 convicted Trujillo of a felony count of retaliation against a witness or victim in connection with a confrontation at the Ouray Hot Springs Pool in November 2023.

That confrontation occurred about six months after the woman, who was 17 at the time, claimed Trujillo’s son, Gabriel, and two others, Nate Dieffenderfer and Ashton Whittington, sexually assaulted her at the home of the now-former Ouray police chief. The three men were arrested in December 2023.

The Plaindealer is not naming the woman, who is now 20, and has a policy of not identifying individuals who accuse others of sexual assault.

Testimony at Trujillo’s trial indicated she and her husband, Nathan, and a group of friends ran into the woman and her friend as the two groups were leaving the pool through the front doors. Trujillo said as they were walking out of the lobby, the woman flipped her off and called her a vulgar name.

That prompted an exchange in which Trujillo admitted to telling the woman: “Explain to the courts that this has happened multiple times and you like it like that.”

Prosecutors argued Trujillo’s words were meant to intimidate the woman while the case was under investigation.

During Thursday’s sentencing, the woman said she used to respect Trujillo. But after the confrontation, she said she lost trust in Trujillo and stopped feeling safe around her and others.

“Kristyn is not the first person to exploit my vulnerability, and she won’t be the last,” the woman said.

She said she was disturbed to watch Trujillo cause her harm, claiming “it was almost as if you enjoyed it.”

“I hope you can face the reality of your choice now and why you treated me that way,” the woman said. “I hope you can find healing so you don’t cause this level of harm to anybody ever again.”

Deputy District Attorney Stacey Haase noted while Trujillo has no prior criminal history, and that a prison sentence wasn’t appropriate in this case, her conduct “strikes at the integrity of the criminal justice system itself.”

She said the legal system depends on victims and witnesses being willing to come forward, report crimes and testify in court.

“When individuals are harassed, intimidated or retaliated against, the harm extends beyond the individual victim,” Haase said. “Such conduct undermines public confidence in the justice system and discourages future victims from reporting crimes or participating in prosecutions.”

While the probation department recommended two years of supervised probation for Trujillo, Haase asked for three years of probation, a 90-day suspended jail sentence as a deterrent against future crimes and 100 hours of public service. She also requested Trujillo undergo a mental health evaluation and comply with any recommended treatment, such as anger management.

Defense attorney Dan Shaffer requested a period of unsupervised probation for Trujillo, claiming there were several mitigating factors working in her favor, including testimony that the woman — not Trujillo — initiated the confrontation.

“There is no evidence that Miss Trujillo pursued an encounter. There is no evidence Miss Trujillo initiated an encounter. There is no evidence Miss Trujillo sought out an encounter,” he said.

He said the Trujillos moved to Ouray in 2021 but stayed for only a couple of years before moving to Tennessee.

“They didn’t feel like Ouray was ever going to be a home after May 2023, December 2023,” he said. “They didn’t feel like they could go out in public and not have some issue.”

In his ruling, Jackson said the retaliation or intimidation was not the sort where the victim was sought out. He said he didn’t think any deterrent was necessary as part of the sentence, and he saw no need for a mental health evaluation or anger management program.

The judge also credited the woman for her courage in persisting and said he thinks it’s unlikely Trujillo will commit another crime.

“It is not to minimize the impact that I suspect the victim experienced associated with this encounter. (But) I don’t think the circumstance is likely to reoccur,” he said.