'Not quite right' man detained for approaching Cheney near Vail

BEAVER CREEK — A man who “wasn’t acting like the other folks” was detained, questioned and released Friday after he tried to approach Vice President Dick Cheney in this resort mountain town.

The man approached Cheney while he was in an outdoor shopping area around 2:45 p.m., said Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren. The man, whose name wasn’t released because no charges have been filed, could face federal charges later, Zahren said.

Agents stopped him as he was walking away, Zahren told The Associated Press.

“His behavior and demeanor wasn’t quite right,” Zahren told the Vail Daily. “The agents tried to question him, and he was argumentative and combative.”

Cheney was attending the AEI World Forum conference, founded and hosted by former President Gerald Ford, who has a home in Beaver Creek. The summit is attended by former and current government leaders and officials, scholars and business leaders from around the world to discuss global issues.

Secret Service agents noticed that the man “wasn’t acting like the other folks in the area,” Zahren said.