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Small incidents mar Halloween By DANI DODGE ASHLAND -- The Ashland police log Monday morning detailed some of the less amusing aspects of Halloween in Ashland. Police arrested a man for brandishing an unloaded semi-automatic pistol in a crowded bar and another for throwing a tray at Taco Bell workers. Fifteen minors were cited for possession of alcohol and a person was arrested for driving under the influence. Compared with 10 years ago, it was Halloween child's play. On Halloween night 1989, Ashland police made 79 arrests, 48 related to alcohol consumption. Other agencies brought in to keep the peace arrested six drunken drivers and issued another 50 citations. Ten thousand people were milling around in the streets. "A lot of the arrests we made back then were people not from the area," said Sgt. Rich Walsh, an 18-year veteran of the force. ``Now the people who come do live in Jackson County and that's made the difference. People have more of a commitment to the town and don't want to see it trashed." In the late 1980s, Ashland was the only place to be during Halloween. The roads were blocked off, bands played in the streets and partyers flocked to the town. But violence marred the event. Fights were frequent among the masked and macabre. There was a stabbing, and at least one drunken driving death. In 1989, people threw rocks from the tops of buildings, police cars were dented, the windshield of a street sweeper was smashed. In 1990, police requested riot gear in the annual budget. The request was turned down. And the celebration lost its city sponsorship. This year, about 700 costumed revelers roamed the downtown streets. A masked band of two dozen minstrels wandered through the bars playing drums. Others gathered in the Plaza. Bars were filled with devils and angels and even a "cereal" killer, but there were no big fights or ugly injuries, police said, although officers did respond quickly when a report came in at 11:49 p.m. that a man in military garb was waving a gun and knife inside Kat Wok. "He said he was in costume as a Rambo-like figure," said Capt. Mike DeCapua. "In the small of his back, tucked in the waistband, was a 9mm semi-automatic handgun." There was a magazine in the handgun, but it wasn't loaded. Marc Robert Edwards, 696 Liberty St., Ashland, was jailed on charges of disorderly conduct and unlawful possession of a handgun. He was released Monday on his own recognizance. About 11:30 p.m., some eggs splattered a police car. And a disgruntled customer at Taco Bell shouted a racial epithet and threw a metal container used to hold hot sauce at employees, striking two. One suffered a gash on her arm. Police went to the alleged assailant's house, and when he opened the door, they saw a gun on the floor. An officer retrieved the gun, and the man tried to hit the officers, DeCapua said. Police arrested Andrew Grant Setzer, 33, of 1 Corral Lane, No. 12, Ashland, on charges of attempted assault on an officer, resisting arrest, fourth-degree assault, harassment, and second-degree trespassing. He also was released on his own recognizance. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA