News
2016 Block Party Quieter Night For Police
By: Susan Tebben
Posted on:
Police kept busy on Saturday during the annual Halloween block party, but arrests were down slightly from the rainy Halloween of 2015.
The block party, which started early in the evening on Saturday, ended at about 2:45 a.m., according to Deputy Service Safety Director Ron Lucas, of the city of Athens.
As of 3 a.m., a total of 64 people had been arrested between Friday and Saturday by members of the Athens Police Department, the Ohio University Police Department and the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Investigative Unit, according to a release by the city.
Athens police arrested 35 people on Saturday, university police transported 18 people to jail and two felony drug arrests were made by the state investigative unit.
“Charges were mostly alcohol-related, with one theft charge and one obstruction charge,” the release stated.
OUPD reported two assaults on police officers and one obstruction charge.
The arrest numbers are down slightly from the 71 arrests reported at 2015 block party and the 72 arrested in 2014.
Many more citations were given out than arrests on Saturday, including 69 from OUPD and 50 by the Department of Public Safety.
On Friday, 11 people were charged by the investigative unit, and nine people were arrested by the APD.
Athens County Emergency Medical Services responded to 37 calls and transported 26 people to OhioHealth O’Bleness Memorial Hospital.
Assistance during the night was provided by the Columbus Fire Department, the Ohio National Guard 52nd Civil Support Team, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Ohio Division of State Fire Marshal and several other police and fire agencies.