Aspen developer arrested on cocaine charge in Montana

A prominent Aspen developer faces a cocaine possession charge in Montana after a drug task force searched his home there in February. The  54-year-old owns at least two multimillion-dollar properties in the Five Trees neighborhood at Aspen Highlands, and he is developing two high-profile projects in Whitefish, Mont., and on Big Mountain, a nearby ski area. Authorities searched the man’s home on Big Mountain Feb. 15 and issued an arrest warrant March 13, according to an article in the Whitefish Pilot. He turned himself in April 3 and was released on his own recognizance. The man told the Pilot that he moved to Montana to focus on his projects. He is developing 70 condominiums and a lodge and spa in Whitefish and a 24-unit townhome project on Big Mountain. His attorney did not return a message Wednesday but plans on fighting the search warrant and the personal search of the man, according to the Pilot. The local listings on his website include an 8,300-square-foot home in Five Trees. The three other listings are of sold properties, including a $10.2 million, 8,000-square-foot residence at the Maroon Creek Golf & Tennis Club.

Editor’s note: This story has been amended to remove the suspects name per The Aspen Times’s “Right to be Forgotten” policy.