Pubdate: Tue, 06 Mar 2012
Source: Summit Daily News (CO)
Copyright: 2012 Summit Daily News
Contact: http://apps.summitdaily.com/forms/letter/index.php
Website: http://www.summitdaily.com/home.php
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/587
Author: Randy Wyrick

DOZENS OF SNOWBALL ATTENDEES HEADED TO COURT

140 taken into custody during three-day music festival

AVON - For dozens of SnowBall partiers, the adventure continues.

Avon's three-day music festival saw 140 people taken into custody,
said Avon Police Chief Bob Ticer.

The first wave of arrestees made their first court appearance Monday.
Another three dozen are scheduled for their first appearance this morning.

Up to 40 people could face felony charges, and up to another 100 on
lesser charges.

The SnowBall parade continues through Eagle County Court Judge
Katharine Sullivan's court this morning. Scofflaws who don't show up
can be arrested, and those who leave the state without the court's
permission face a mandatory 18-month prison sentence, said Capt. Bill
Kaufman with the Eagle County Sheriff's Office.

Last year's SnowBall saw 48 arrests. The difference, Ticer said, is
not the number of law-breakers but the number of police.

"This year we had a year to prepare for the event. Last year we had
two months. That gave us an opportunity to reach out to other
agencies," Ticer said. "We had triple the number of narcotics officers
on Friday night, and also on Saturday night. Narcotics officers from
other agencies and the state liquor agency were here to help."

Ticer said that, all in all, SnowBall was successful - at least his
part of it.

"This is what we do. We're responsible for public safety. We prepare
for it," he said. "When there were people who needed to go to
hospitals and jail, we were close at hand. We were able to get them
the help they needed immediately.

"The people who are law-abiding, we try to make sure they have a safe
and enjoyable event."

Narcotic cavalcade Now that it's over, police are being fairly
good-natured about it, except for one major irritant - some of those
busted for distribution bonded out. They wound up back at SnowBall,
where they identified undercover cops.

Cocaine was popular, as were mushrooms. Pot was prevalent. Acid showed
up. One crystal meth case rolled through. But the most pervasive was
ecstasy, police said.

Avon police set up an entire evidence processing station. They went
through seven boxes of acid testing kits, with 15 kits in a box.

"The system worked so well that we managed it with only three overtime
shifts and one medical shift," Kaufman said.

One of Monday's cases started in Anchorage, Alaska. The Alaska native
attends college in Colorado Springs. He came up for SnowBall and now
has lots of felonies. He was arrested for distribution of a controlled
substance and returns for his next court date later this month.

A possession-with-intent-to-distribute defendant told Sullivan he
works in Denver selling "organic groceries."

One SnowBaller was taken into custody after the event. Police say he'd
taken some hallucinogenic drugs and was standing on a table in his
buddy's apartment with broken glass all around. His buddy called
police for some help, so the guy allegedly beat up his host, then
assaulted the police officers.

He spit blood on one officer and hit a couple others, prosecutors
said. His right eye was swollen and cut.

He was charged with three counts of assault on a peace officer,
resisting arrest, second-degree assault, among other charges. He was
ordered to stay away from the guy he's accused of assaulting. He also
has to stay from the Avon police department, since he's also accused
of assaulting them.

Sidebar:

SnowBall by the numbers . 140 people were taken into custody. Of
those, 101 were for alcohol violations primarily for underage drinking
and procurement of alcohol for minors. . If it was possession, you
could be released on personal recognizance. . If it was distribution,
you were arrested and taken to jail. . 25 arrests related to
distribution of narcotics. . 14 arrests for possession of narcotics. .
13 arrests for possession of marijuana. . 30 medical transports by the
Eagle County Ambulance District for a variety of conditions related to
alcohol or drug impairment. . A couple trespass arrests, mostly people
jumping the fence. The promoter demanded that they be arrested and
prosecuted, Avon police said. . Three third-degree assaults. . Four
second-degree assaults on police officers. . One liquor agent struck
in the head.

Police confiscated: . Oxycontin. . Hydrocodone. . Marijuana. . Hashish
oil. . Ecstasy. . Cocaine. . Meth. . LSD. . Alcohol. . They also
seized more than $8,000 from drug dealers over the weekend.

Source: Avon Police Department
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt