*** Heavy police presence works to quell unruly Apple Blossom crowds ***

Wenatchee, Washington -- 05/04/2004
~Rowdy night ends the party~

Shae Norton heard the cat calls from the guys at
Seventh Street and North Wenatchee Avenue.

So the blonde from Bonney Lake gave them a nod
- a coy smile as she twisted her plastic bead necklace with her finger.

But almost immediately, two cops on bikes rode up, accusing
her of flashing her breasts. She denied it, and they let her go.

"They've cracked down a lot since last year," the 18-year-old,
who came to Apple Blossom Festival cruising last year, said in
an interview. "I think that's really too much, it's a little
overpowering."

The sidewalks were jammed Saturday night
with people cruising on Wenatchee Avenue.

After an unusually tame Friday, police said the crowds were
back to their anticipated size. "This is a lot bigger than last night,"
said Wenatchee police Cpl. Mike Huffer, who was on bike patrol
Saturday.

At about 8 p.m., there were 57 cops on bikes, foot or in patrol
vehicles along Wenatchee Avenue from Ninth Street south to
Kittitas Street.

A Chelan County Sheriff's Office helicopter carrying
Sheriff Mike Harum buzzed over the city before night
fell to assess the size of the crowd and look for large
crowds on the edge of the city, Harum said.

A 19-year-old woman reported being raped in the 300 block
of North Mission Street at 2:58 a.m. Sunday, Wenatchee police
Sgt. John Kruse said. The incident took place near a Washington
State Patrol trailer on Whitman Street.

The woman told investigators a man, who she met while cruising,
pulled her into some bushes across from Wells Fargo Bank.
Manke said the woman didn't know his name. No arrests
have been made..

Officers also responded to many misdemeanor
offenses, including fights, Kruse said.

One took place just north of the Welcome Inn, 232 N.
Wenatchee Ave., after a man took a handful of bead necklaces
and swung them at another man, striking him in the face at about 11 p.m.

A large crowd cheered the men as they exchanged blows.
The fight wrapped up before police arrived.

A short time later, another large crowd formed in front of
North Central Sales, 326 N. Wenatchee Ave., when a
group of women began to rap.

A Yakima Police Department officer yelled loudly for people to
move on, but no one did, so he held up a canister of pepper spray
and pointed it into the crowd, which then began to break up.

The Yakima officer, Eric Hampton, later said in an interview that
he did not discharge any pepper spray, but had shown the device
because he thought there was a fight.

Edgar Perez, a 21-year-old Western Washington University
student, said a cop accused him of being riotous for giving a
piggy-back ride to "Lucy," a naked blow up sex doll.

Perez said the officer told him to dump the doll or go to jail.
Then the cop told them to at least get her some clothes, he said.
So, they found her a T-shirt and some blue G-string underwear.

By 3 a.m. Sunday, police were heard over a scanner talking
about closing Wenatchee Avenue to traffic in order to end cruising.

During the next hour, they responded to calls that included fights
at hotels and apparently drunk people who were disorderly or
passed out.

At about 4 a.m., La Quinta Inn, 1905 N. Wenatchee Ave.,
was evacuated after a fire alarm went off. A hotel official said
the hotel was booked full at the time but declined to say how
many guests were present.

It was a false alarm. Police were heard over a scanner saying
the occupants of the hotel who had pulled the fire alarm had
been evicted.

By 4:30 a.m., downtown Wenatchee Avenue was deserted,
and only garbage lined the streets.

Several blocks north, an electric sign placed in the middle
of Wenatchee's main drag blinked with a farewell message
for motorists:

"See you next year." "Thanks for visiting."

"Please drive home" "Safely."

CC - http://www.wenworld.com

Geneb...Wenatchee,Washington-USA
All Things Northwest in BMX!
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