House candidate pleads guilty to assaulting girl

GOLDEN — A state legislative candidate from Jefferson County has pleaded guilty to third-degree assault, admitting he slapped his daughter after a garage door at the family’s home failed to open fast enough.

Forty-eight-year-old Vince Chowdhury (CHOW’-dur-ee) entered his plea Tuesday in a Golden courtroom. Two other charges of contempt of court and harassment were dropped.

Chowdhury apologized and asked for his family’s forgiveness.

His attorney, Dave Thomas, says Chowdhury should receive a one-year deferred sentence on the assault charge, meaning the charge would be erased from his record if he stayed out of trouble for a year.

An arrest affidavit says Chowdhury got angry and slapped his 16-year-old daughter and began to choke her last month, but he denied the choking allegation.

Chowdhury told police he “lost it” when his wife and daughter didn’t hear him honking.