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March 23, 2004BOYNE FALLS: Resort's 'Crazy Days' peak with alcohol-related arrestsSheriff patrols nab 42 violatorsByRecord-Eagle staff writer BOYNE FALLS - Once again this year, the annual "Crazy Days" weekend at Boyne Mountain ski resort brought huge crowds, plenty of partying - and many arrests. Charlevoix County Sheriff George T. Lasater said police agencies in the county made 42 arrests Friday and Saturday related to Crazy Days revelry. Almost all of the arrests were alcohol-related, Lasater said, including drunken driving, minors in possession of alcohol, open intoxicants in motor vehicles and disorderly conduct. The county on a typical weekend has "between one and two" drunk-driving arrests, he said. "It's just irresponsibility on the part of some of the patrons who come up to northern Michigan and participate in it," Lasater said. Boyne Mountain officials did not return messages seeking comment Monday. Lasater said resort officials are "very cooperative" with law enforcement's efforts during the celebration. The annual St. Patrick's Day weekend event attracts thousands of skiers and celebrants to the resort and bars in nearby Boyne City. "Each day (of Crazy Days weekend), Thursday, Friday and Saturday, is bigger than New Year's Eve here," said Dave Collins, owner of the Sportsman's Bar in downtown Boyne City. But Collins said at least in his establishment, the party stays under control. "People have a good time," he said. "It's crowded, but we don't have any problems." First Lt. Aaron Sweeney of the Michigan State Police post in Petoskey said officers set up a portable Breathalyzer machine in the sheriff's sub-station in Boyne Falls over the weekend to speed up processing of all of the drunk-driving arrests. The sheriff's department also provided a transport van, which kept officers in the area instead of driving back and forth to the jail in Charlevoix, Sweeney said. Lasater said his department annually racks up significant overtime in both road patrol and jail staff during Crazy Days. Though Crazy Days may provide a late-winter boost to local businesses, Lasater said he will not wink and look the other way at those who choose to drive while intoxicated. "If they are generating a situation that places our public in harm's way, we are going to treat it very seriously," he said.
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