This Halloween, police were met with a smaller crowd and fewer arrests, but the night was still characterized by several violent incidents, namely three vehicle fires.
Police filed 124 charges and 82 arrests for Saturday night on the mass booking system, which includes arrests from the Athens Police Department, Ohio University Police Department and other agencies. Last year, 95 people were arrested.
Of those arrested on Saturday, 46 were college students, including 23 from OU; five from Ohio State University; and two each from Kent State University, the University of Cincinnati and Miami University.
Of the charges filed, 64 were for disorderly conduct and 32 were for underage consumption.
A news release from the Athens Police Department described the crowd Saturday night as the smallest in years. Lt. Jeff McCall of APD said cold and rainy weather might have thinned out the crowd.
Despite fewer people, police still saw some violence. The Athens Fire Department is investigating three early morning vehicle fires as possible arsons. The fires happened about 4:30 a.m. in the area of West Washington and Maple streets. Capt. Brian Muhn of the Athens Fire Department said there was extensive damage but could offer no specific cause or damage estimate.
One person was reportedly robbed at gunpoint near Court and Carpenter streets, according to the news release. Police made several unsuccessful traffic stops in search of the suspect later in the evening. McCall said he did not know the time or details of the incident.
A visitor who fell off the retaining wall on Rose was taken to the emergency room with a severe head injury, he said. Fights near Magic Video on East State Street and Broney's Alumni Grill on Carpenter Street each resulted in emergency medical attention for one person.
About 22 Athens Police officers worked full time Saturday night, with four or five reserves, McCall said. More than 30 uniformed officers and 20 mounted officers were brought in from other departments this year, compared with 24 uniformed officers and 15 mounted officers last year. McCall said that even though they had a bigger police presence this year, they were still understaffed.
It's never enough when you're talking about that amount of people and that amount of space
he said. Police offered no estimate of the crowd's size.
On Friday night there were only 17 arrests, about half of the 33 arrests that occurred last year on the Friday before Halloween. 17
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Erin Barker
