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APD has a busy New Year By Sean Wolfe Ashland Daily Tidings Police had a busy night New Year's Eve breaking up fights, keeping intoxicated drivers off the streets and investigating numerous acts of theft and vandalism. As a consequence, roughly a dozen Ashlanders ringing in 2003 wound up in detox, or in jail. There was no ball to drop to commemorate the changeover, but that didn't stop roughly 500 revelers from gathering in front of City Hall to ring in 2003. Clubs and bars were mostly packed, and most charged a cover - which drove many celebrants to pack the plaza. Police were on the scene as well, citing adults and minors with open containers, and obvious marijuana smokers. One minor was issued a citation for drinking in public, and had tears in her eyes as she emptied a champagne bottle onto the ground. "Now my parents are going to kill me," she said, asking that her name be withheld. At the Plaza, seven police officers showed up to make a warrant arrest on a 20 year-old male transient, Erik Cope-land. Copeland had to be forced onto the ground and cuffed, and exacerbated the situation by attempting to fight with and spitting on arresting officers. He was charged with harassment and disorderly conduct, and was lodged in Jackson County Jail. Several of Copeland's cohorts came close to getting arrested after harassing others on the street during the arrest, and receiving verbal warnings. As in the past, Q's Bar & Grill and Club Vinyl continued their cooperative arrangement, charging a single cover for both nightspots, and allowing people to flow between the two venues and their respective bands. Despite a packed alley, arrests and citations were comparatively few. Police reports indicated only one intoxicated individual being transported to detox from the scene, and there were no recorded instances of underage drinking or drug busts. "It was pretty quiet here," noted Club Vinyl owner Shahar Ben-Barak. "We didn't get packed until later, but Q's was very packed. The only minor incident was some cops got beer thrown on them from the balcony at Q's, but nothing really happened because of that. It was no where near as crazy as Halloween," Ben-Barak said. On the club front, police are continuing to investigate a fight involving multiple individuals that took place outside of Kat Wok, a local dance spot. No further information was made available by police sources. Around town, multiple thefts and vandalism incidents darkened the days of some citizens. Several bikes were stolen, car windows and mirrors smashed, and just one incident of graffiti was reported. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -