SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "Teen in alleged murder plot arrested"

It is true that the Basalt Police Dept. is not the 'same' as Aspen and Pitkin County law enforcement.  There is an aura of community and some similar beliefs.  But Basalt is more pro-active and not as 'blinders on' tolerant.

There is also the need, the same as there is for any of our community forces, for more bodies and more training to look deeper into some areas.  But overall, SandBox has to agree with Curry on the point that gang activity is not out of control and that Basalt PD is on top.

Where he falls short in his perception is that there is just a 'beginning' of gang related activity in the Basalt jurisdiction that includes so closely El Jebel and Blue Lake which are partially in Eagle County.

Since 1995, which is as far back as my own memory can take me where kids and gang activity are concerned, there have been a majority of parents who realized how closely the gang problems in Carbondale relate to Basalt kids.   

For at least the past 17 years it has not been fully safe to let your kids out at night past a certain hour anywhere between Basalt and Carbondale.  But especially Carbondale.

For at least the past 12 years, there has been gang activity at Basalt High School, Arbaney Park, the middle school and certain pocket points downtown and on the Pan.

What a mistake it is, for Basalt law enforcement to be so casual in reporting this to the public.  You see, the parents out here will see right through the press release for the falsity it is.

What a tough wake up call this is for the Town of Basalt to have the second/third warning bell be one of such severity.  Now, the question is.  What, exactly, is the Basalt P.D. and Eagle S.O. going to do to step up their game? 

Chad Abraham:
"...Curry said authorities were taken aback by the amount of detail in the alleged scheme, which he said also involved the use of walkie-talkies.

“I’ve never seen this level of planning for any crime, whether it’s an adult or a juvenile,” he said Friday. “This is very unique to our valley.”

The bad blood between the main suspect and the potential victim allegedly involved drug dealing and a relationship with a girl, the release says....

....Much credit for disrupting the plot, Curry said, should go to Brian Lemke, the Basalt Police Department’s school resource officer.

Lemke “spoke with a juvenile who told him that the event at Arbaney Park was actually a planned assault and abduction, and not a drug deal,” the release says. “The juvenile informed officer Lemke that the map and description was for a plan by local gang members to beat, kidnap and potentially murder a rival gang member by luring him to that location.”

The juvenile who spoke to Lemke might have been approached to take part, Curry said.

Basalt police are not releasing the name of the purported gangs to protect against potential future violence. The possible victim is in police custody for an unrelated case.

Besides the diagrams, police recovered a BB gun pistol that Curry said was spray-painted black to look like a real handgun.

“It looked exactly like one of our guns,” he said.

Multiple messages left with 5th Judicial District prosecutors were not returned Friday. But Curry said the boy could be charged with conspiracy to commit assault, kidnapping and, possibly, homicide....."
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