Danbury News-Times
August 25, 2006
by Susan Tuz
RIDGEFIELD -- Police made seven drug arrests over the two-day period in which legendary Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir performed at The Ridgefield Playhouse.
Weir, with his band, RatDog, performed Monday and Tuesday night to sold-out crowds. About 1,000 people packed into the playhouse over the two days to hear Weir.
The arrests were among the people outside the playhouse, police said.
"It was the obvious and public use of drugs that brought police action," said Police Capt. Steven Brown. "We had many officers in uniform out and they simply walked through the parking lot and the fields (adjacent to the playhouse) and came upon people clearly using drugs."
Police chased one marijuana-smoker down in a "brief foot pursuit," and approached another man who was smoking a marijuana joint who "destroyed the joint and would not listen to officer's commands," police said in a statement.
According to the statement, officers walked up to a group of people believed to be smoking marijuana and found one man had "a large quantity of hallucinogenic mushrooms and heroin.""We luckily had a good number of officers on the shift both nights but it did tax our resources," Brown said. "Luckily, we didn't have other incidents around town" at the same time.
Weir and Rat Dog performed at the playhouse in 2004 and drew a "more mellow crowd," said Allison Stockel, executive director at the playhouse.
Both shows this year sold out, but Stockel said it would be "hard to say" if Weir would be booked to return any time soon.
The cost of paying for police to control crowds could make ticket prices too high, she said.
Stockel said she thought members of the crowd outside the playhouse where the arrests took place both nights were "not traditional Dead Heads."
Dead Heads was the name given to fans of the Grateful Dead who followed the band from engagement to engagement. Weir is similarly followed by many of these fans.
"This was a different, younger crowd," Stockel said. "It was much wilder. That will happen sometimes when the idea of a show draws extraneous people who hang out outside. These younger people think the hippie movement of the '60s was all about drugs, sex and rock 'n roll. They miss the essence of the '60s."
Ages of those arrested for drug possession the nights of the concerts ranged from 19 to 40. Drugs found included marijuana, hallucinogenic mushrooms, LSD and heroin. Along with the seven arrests, there was one arrest for disorderly conduct.
"We knew this year there would be a large crowd known for counter-cultural behavior," Brown said. "The last time the band was here in 2004, we had some arrests and groups of people who had come to town the day before the concert and were camping out."
Brown said the playhouse worked with the police letting them know they would need additional coverage for the Weir concert and paid the salary for one police officer on an overtime shift. It also hired eight private security guards for crowd control inside the playhouse.
On Monday night, Brent Arrowitz, 19, of Ridgefield, was charged with possession of black tar heroin; Richard Kaelin, 40, of Wappingers Falls, N.Y., was charged with destroying evidence (a marijuana joint), and Joshua Keyser, 28, of Doylestown, Pa., was charged with possession of marijuana.
On Tuesday night Joshua Horowitz, 35, was charged with possession of marijuana; Dennis J. Betanic Jr., 31, of Thorofare, N.J., was charged with possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms, heroin and drug paraphernalia; Clifford Schwanke, 27, of Simpson, Pa., was charged with possession of LSD and marijuana, and Oliver Stone, 19, of Hamden, was charged with possession of marijuana and a controlled substance.
Michael McGee, 51, of Wayne, N.J., was charged with disorderly conduct.
