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Unusual arrests made during Steamboat MusicFest

Matt Stensland
Brandon Cash

— Everything might be bigger in Texas, except for one Texas man’s choice of undergarments while running through the hallways of The Steamboat Grand hotel.

Brandon J. Cash, 33, of Austin, was arrested after he ran around the hotel early Monday morning in a bikini and exposed himself, police said.

An Oklahoma man, also visiting for Steamboat MusicFest, also went to jail after he got lost, broke into a building and pulled a fire alarm to call for help, police said.

According to an arrest affidavit filed in Routt County Court, Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp. security guards told police that Cash was exposing himself and he had what appeared to be baby powder on his face.

Police located Cash in a hotel room. He denied running around the hotel in a bikini and told police he had been sleeping.

All the witnesses identified Cash as the man who had exposed himself, the affidavit states.

A woman told police she was trying to get into an elevator when she was exposed to Cash. She said she tried to step to the side, but he would move in front of her, the affidavit states.

A man told police he saw Cash expose himself while running up and down a hallway, and Cash was being filmed by his friends, the affidavit states.

Cash was arrested on suspicion of two counts of indecent exposure. He was released from jail after posting a $750 bond and is due back in court at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 11. He could not be reached for comment.

RELATED: Texas man fined $500 for choice of undergarments

Another man in town for MusicFest was willing to accept a ticket for his suspected crimes, but police told him he was going to jail.

William T. Cook, 22, of Oklahoma, was arrested shortly after 3 a.m. Tuesday on suspicion of felony criminal mischief and misdemeanor second-degree trespassing.

At about 2:30 a.m., a man called Routt County Communications and told dispatchers to “get me off this (expletive) mountain.” The man cursed and yelled but hung up before telling dispatchers where he was.

Dispatchers were able to trace the source of the cellphone signal to the parking lot at The West condominiums in the 2100 block of Mount Werner Circle.

When an officer arrived at the condo complex, he found a fire alarm was going off. He then saw a man in the lobby, whom he later would identify as Cook.

Cook’s jeans had snow on them up to the knee, and Cook was showing signs of drunkenness, the affidavit states. The officer also noticed a door inside the office had been broken.

Cook told the officer he had been outside for four hours looking for his condo in Ski Time Square, and he activated the fire alarm to get help. Cook denied calling Routt County Communications.

The officer did not mind Cook pulling the fire alarm, but he did take issue with the damage discovered inside the office. The glass in another door had been shattered. Sgt. Rich Brown said Tuesday that there also were holes in the walls and a total estimated $2,000 in damages.

According to the affidavit, Cook told officers he broke into the building to stay warm, but that did not explain why a loveseat had been moved and was blocking a doorway.

“Cook said while he was in the office area trying to warm up, he was ‘frustrated’ and moved the sofa,” the officer wrote in the affidavit. The affidavit goes on to say that when the officer asked Cook why he had blood on his finger, Cook said he was walking around “punching air,” and his hand started to bleed.

“I explained to him that his actions were above and beyond setting off a fire alarm to get assistance from SSPD,” the officer wrote in the affidavit. “Cook said he understood and said he would ‘accept a ticket for it.’ I informed him that due to circumstances and amount of damage, I was placing him under arrest for his actions.”

Cook was advised Tuesday in Routt County Court. He was being held on a $750 bond and is due back in court at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

More than 5,000 people purchased ski vacation packages to attend the six-day MusicFest, which concludes Thursday.

Brown said police are dealing with situations similar to previous years of the festival. Attendees include a lot of heavy drinkers, Brown said.

“Typically, 99 percent of them are very well-behaved,” he said.

To reach Matt Stensland, call 970-871-4247, email mstensland@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @SBTStensland


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