Bismarck Tribune - North Dakota News - Some fans outraged by concert sting

Some fans outraged by concert sting

Nov 08, 2007 - 04:04:54 CST

By DAVE KOLPACK
Associated Press Writer

FARGO - One Ozzy Osbourne fan thinks it's clever while another thinks he should sue. Either way, the Cass County sheriff who used Osbourne's concert as bait in a sting operation says he's not apologizing to the hard rock musician.

"If Mr. Osbourne has a desire and a need to speak to me, he can contact me at the Cass County sheriff's office," Sheriff Paul Laney said, in response to a statement from Osbourne demanding an apology. "I'm proud of my staff. We're not going to apologize for doing our jobs."

Laney's department sent out 500 letters to people with outstanding warrants, inviting them to a phony party at a local nightclub before Osbourne's concert with Rob Zombie last week at the Fargodome. The offer included two free tickets to the show.

More than 30 people showed up and were arrested. They were being sought on charges ranging from delinquent child support payments to traffic and drug fines.

Osbourne said in a statement that the sting tarnished his reputation by implying his concerts attract criminals. He could not be reached Wednesday for further comment.

Anthony James, 36, an Ozzy Osbourne fan from Fargo, said Osbourne should sue the city and the sheriff for using his name without permission.

"It's not right. It's not fair," James said. "It also implies that all of his fans are criminals and crooks. That's stereotyping us."

Fargo lawyer Michael Raum said North Dakota does not have "false light" laws that aim to protect against invasion of privacy, and it's unlikely that Osbourne has any legal recourse because he is a public figure.

"He would be facing an uphill climb," Raum said.

Troy Salonen, 39, who owns a guitar store in Fargo, is an Ozzy Osbourne fan and member of a local fan club for Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde. Salonen laughed at Osbourne's comment that the sting hurt his reputation.

"I think snorting ants and biting the heads off doves and bats has done more to damage his reputation than this sting," he said.

"I thought it was ingenious," Salonen said. "If somebody has broken the law they have warrants out for them, they should get picked up. It was clever and I think it was the right thing to do."

The sheriff's department was not specifically targeting the Osbourne concert, Laney said. "That show came up during the time we were dealing with the situation," he said.

Managers at Playmakers, the nightclub that hosted the sting, said they were assured the location would be kept quiet, and said they won't hold another one.

Rob Sobolik, executive director of the Fargodome, said he hoped the incident would not hurt efforts by the dome and its managing company, Global Spectrum, to attract concerts.

"I think it's important to point out that the Fargodome and Global Spectrum had nothing to do with this. We didn't support it. We didn't condone it," Sobolik said.

Sobolik said he was contacted by authorities about holding the phony party at the dome.

"We said, 'absolutely not,"' Sobolik said. "We didn't see any benefit by doing that."

Steven Mottinger, a Fargo public defender, said there may have been a better option for the sheriff's department.

"They knew where to send these people letters," Mottinger said. "If they were Cass County residents, don't you think they could just go out and pick them up?"

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Comments

Thinking Out Side The Box wrote on Nov 8, 2007 9:33 PM:

" I think this was a great idea for the Cass County Sheriff's Dept. They thought out side the box and got Criminals in jail. We all are people who enjoy differant things and events. If you happen to like Rock it doesn't make you a bad person. If they would have done this before a Rap Concert in Fargo it would have been labeled as racist. The ATF does stings at gunshows to keep people honest and the NRA and gun owners still don't like it. If you are a criminal and have a warrant for your arrest you are fare game to any Cop, no matter where or when. "

GREAT JOB wrote on Nov 8, 2007 7:46 PM:

" Thank you Sheriff Laney. To all readers: this was NOT entrapment. Go ahead and sue. Consult a lawyer. You will only waste your money finding out this was NOT entrapment. "

Get a Life wrote on Nov 8, 2007 6:28 PM:

" This isn't the first time authorities have used sting operations to capture wanted criminals. They use stings like this all over the country using venues from rock concerts, promotional give aways to superbowl parties. If you are a criminal and wanted by authorities...but stupid enough to fall for the trap...its your loss, but our gain. "

Get a LIfe wrote on Nov 8, 2007 6:24 PM:

" I can understand why Ozzie and the Pub were a bit upset by the sting because it is in a way associated with their namesakes and reputation as being the person/place that got these losers arrested. Howeve, as far as the FANS being angry...get a life!!! This sting operation had nothing to do with you...enjoy the concert and move on with your lives. "

If it's okay for ozzy... wrote on Nov 8, 2007 4:52 PM:

" ...then the next time your church has an event, it is fine for the Sheriff to conduct a sting relative to that function. Or the next time the PTA has a function, or any other organization. And I don't want to hear anything about, "Yeah, but Ozzy is sinful, satanic, evil." Actually, Oz believes in God, he just doesn't worship God the established way that you may. Annnndddd, evil reigns in established "religions" anyway. And the PTA for that matter. hahahahaha "

maybe, but BUT wrote on Nov 8, 2007 4:50 PM:

" They only got 30 out of 500. I think that if they went door to door, they would have been able to surpass 30 arrests. "

C3PO wrote on Nov 8, 2007 4:36 PM:

" If I had received this in the mail and even if I didn't have an outstanding warrant... I would have checked to make sure this was legitimate before I went. Didn't they even question ... why would I receive an invitation out of the blue - delivered right to my house??? Man, some people are dense. Ozzy, g-g-g-get over it. Good job, Sheriff. "

REX wrote on Nov 8, 2007 3:05 PM:

" So what? Like Ozzy has an untarnished reputation? This is a riot!! Hahahahahahahahahahaha!! "

PJ wrote on Nov 8, 2007 1:55 PM:

" ENTRAPMENT - A person is 'entrapped' when he is induced or persuaded by law enforcement officers or their agents to commit a crime that he had no previous intent to commit. This wasn't entrapment, since the people arrested had already committed a crime of some type. "

H wrote on Nov 8, 2007 1:26 PM:

" I think the whole point of this is being missed. The real question is what part of this is "legal"? Enticing these people to a public function to arrest them is entrapement. There are laws against entrapement regardless of what these people have done. Where are the warrents? These people were arrested under false pretences not in the act of committing a crime. I think everyone of them should go and get a lawyer and sue. Its the principle of the whole operation. "

At Work wrote on Nov 8, 2007 1:23 PM:

" Criminals use anything and everthing they can think of to evade the law. The law should be able to do the same! I think the sting operation was a FANTASTIC idea! Excellent Job Sheriff. How anyone can say he is lazy is totally wrong. A lazy Sheriff wouldn't have the imagination or the courage to go through with something like this. Lazy people sit on their rear ends and do nothing... I'm sure sort of like some of the people who were arrested. "

Way over the top wrote on Nov 8, 2007 1:21 PM:

" The fargo dome isn't going to be hurt...they didn't sell fake tickets...the sheriff's department sent letters out, luring the criminals to a "pre-party" at an entirely different location. If these individuals would be responsible and pay their fines or child support instead of thinking they need to party, they wouldn't be in trouble. Why is it that people can steal, cheat, lie, use drugs, etc and people in America are quick to jump to their rescue? Get a job, or two if you need to pay off your fines and become a responsible citizen!! "

Concerts are over wrote on Nov 8, 2007 10:11 AM:

" Whether it be right or wrong, the only people that are going to suffer from this sting is the people that manage the Fargo Dome. Now I am sure that there will be no more rock concerts for a while, because bands and other people want no part in that. They are there to play their music and have fun with the crowd. "

M wrote on Nov 8, 2007 9:31 AM:

" pick them up? when they don't answer the door or someone says they're not home, then what? search the house, bet there would be an outcry for that too. some public support on catching these guys may have averted the whole thing. reputation vs. dollars. big difference "

JSB wrote on Nov 8, 2007 9:19 AM:

" Im an Ozzy fan and I think the arrests shouldnt worry anyone. If your a criminal and law breaker you deserve to get caught. Theyre the idiots that showed up for a party out of the blue without checking into it further to see if it was legit or not. Good job Cass county. Ozzy? Get over it!! "

PO3 wrote on Nov 8, 2007 9:18 AM:

" To the outraged fans of Ozzy, was your name on that list or some other list we don't know about? "

Crap wrote on Nov 8, 2007 8:57 AM:

" I't sad, even a Pub. Defender thinks this is shady..which it is..the Cass County Sher. Dept. is lazy and crude, They should just do their jobs and this was not it. Think about all the controversy this has caused, not only that but we don't know the extent of damage it's going to do for getting future Bands to come here or other entertainment. And then we wonder why our economy is crap and our young people leave here, it things like this that force people away. Thus there goes their money too. Now tell me how well of a job this was. "

Beesh wrote on Nov 8, 2007 7:40 AM:

" The 'fans' that are outraged are probably people who have a tendancy to break the law and don't want to be 'stung' themselves. If you have nothing to hide, the authorities will not be a threat to you. "

maybe, but wrote on Nov 8, 2007 7:28 AM:

" Yes, they could have gone to all 500 residences and picked these people up, but this was a much more effecient way to do it & saved the taxpayers lots & lots of dollars that would have been used to go to all 500 places. Duh. If these people hadn't done anything wrong, they wouldn't have been included. They got what they deserved. "

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