No ducking the police
ASPEN When residents attempt future duck capers, they should avoid running a red light. That’s what snagged three Carbondale men who stole a giant duck off the lawn of an Aspen business. Jason Lingus, 19, Matthew Smith, 26, and Michael Lacey, 26, were all cited for misdemeanor theft after turning themselves in and admitting to the theft, said police officer Jim Crowley. The three were pulled over by a Pitkin County deputy the night the waterfowl was taken after they allegedly ran a red light. Aspen police said they did not know if the driver had been cited for a traffic offense. After word of the duck theft spread, the deputy remembered seeing oversized webbed feet sticking out from under a tarp. He then went back through police files to find the license plate number. That license plate was registered to a Carbondale business – and the duck just happened to still be in the back of the truck when the three men’s boss looked there.”All three confessed to taking it and brought it back unharmed,” Crowley said. “They had been drinking and said it was a stupid thing to do.”The man who was driving had not been drinking, Crowley said. The sizable waterfowl – yellow, with sunglasses – was advertising the Aspen Ducky Derby Festival and the ducks on sale at Olson Builders. In the last 15 years, the derby has raised more than $1.7 million for local and international charities. Joel Stonington’s e-mail address is jstonington@aspentimes.com
Local 14 year old writes young adult novels
Nyala Honey has done more in her 14 years on this earth than many people accomplish in decades. The 14-year-old Basalt resident has published two young adult novels, which she’ll talk about and read from at Explore Booksellers at 2 p.m. on June 8.
