News
ARAPAHOE BASIN — A Loveland man was arrested on a felony assault charge after he allegedly attacked a teenager with a ski pole who had been involved in an on-mountain collision at Arapahoe Basin with the man’s girlfriend.
Frank Furlott, 42, was charged with 2nd degree assault and felony menacing following the altercation on Sunday afternoon at A-Basin.
According to a police report from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, a 17-year-old teenager (who was not identified because he’s a juvenile) from Castle Rock was snowboarding on the Lenawee Face trail when he collided with Furlott’s girlfriend.
He asked the woman if she was OK, then helped her to her feet. When she said she was fine, the teenager asked if it was all right for him to leave and she said yes.
As he started down the trail, Furlott, who was about 75 feet below where the accident occurred, began yelling at him to come over, according to the teen’s testimony.
“(The teen) did snowboard toward Furlott and as he came closer, Furlott grabbed him around the neck and threw him to the ground. ... When (the teen) was on the ground, he said Furlott began to hit him several times in the face and neck area with his ski poles,” the report said.
Furlott also allegedly hit the teen several times in the back with his ski poles, and allegedly threatened to stab the pole through the boy’s heart.
Reached at his home in Loveland, Furlott said he and his girlfriend were skiing when she was “hit by a reckless snowboarder.”
“As he was trying to leave the scene, I stopped him,” Furlott said.
He said allegations of beating the boy with his ski pole are not true, and that the report that his girlfirend wasn’t injured are false as well. He said she had X-rays done Monday night and doesn’t yet know the extent of her injuries from the accident.
According to the police report, however, the girlfriend verified the teen’s version of the story, saying she told him he could leave after the collision.
The teenager suffered a 1-inch laceration on the lower left side of his chin and a 1- to 2-inch cut on his lower left cheek bone during the incident.
Several witnesses told deputies yelling profanities at the boy, threatening him and hitting the boy as he tried to cover himself.
Summit County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Paulette Horr said the teen did what he was supposed to in the event of a collision with another skier or rider on the mountain.
“The big message to get out is to make sure the other person is OK and wait for ski patrol to arrive. He didn’t do that, but she said she was OK,” Horr said.
According to the Ski Safety Act, a skier involved in a collision with another person in which injury results should not leave the scene of the accident before giving his name and address to a member of ski patrol, unless the person is leaving to get help.
<i>Nicole Formosa can be reached at (970) 668-4629, or at nformosa@summitdaily.com.</i>
Frank Furlott, 42, was charged with 2nd degree assault and felony menacing following the altercation on Sunday afternoon at A-Basin.
According to a police report from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, a 17-year-old teenager (who was not identified because he’s a juvenile) from Castle Rock was snowboarding on the Lenawee Face trail when he collided with Furlott’s girlfriend.
He asked the woman if she was OK, then helped her to her feet. When she said she was fine, the teenager asked if it was all right for him to leave and she said yes.
As he started down the trail, Furlott, who was about 75 feet below where the accident occurred, began yelling at him to come over, according to the teen’s testimony.
“(The teen) did snowboard toward Furlott and as he came closer, Furlott grabbed him around the neck and threw him to the ground. ... When (the teen) was on the ground, he said Furlott began to hit him several times in the face and neck area with his ski poles,” the report said.
Furlott also allegedly hit the teen several times in the back with his ski poles, and allegedly threatened to stab the pole through the boy’s heart.
Reached at his home in Loveland, Furlott said he and his girlfriend were skiing when she was “hit by a reckless snowboarder.”
“As he was trying to leave the scene, I stopped him,” Furlott said.
He said allegations of beating the boy with his ski pole are not true, and that the report that his girlfirend wasn’t injured are false as well. He said she had X-rays done Monday night and doesn’t yet know the extent of her injuries from the accident.
According to the police report, however, the girlfriend verified the teen’s version of the story, saying she told him he could leave after the collision.
The teenager suffered a 1-inch laceration on the lower left side of his chin and a 1- to 2-inch cut on his lower left cheek bone during the incident.
Several witnesses told deputies yelling profanities at the boy, threatening him and hitting the boy as he tried to cover himself.
Summit County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Paulette Horr said the teen did what he was supposed to in the event of a collision with another skier or rider on the mountain.
“The big message to get out is to make sure the other person is OK and wait for ski patrol to arrive. He didn’t do that, but she said she was OK,” Horr said.
According to the Ski Safety Act, a skier involved in a collision with another person in which injury results should not leave the scene of the accident before giving his name and address to a member of ski patrol, unless the person is leaving to get help.
<i>Nicole Formosa can be reached at (970) 668-4629, or at nformosa@summitdaily.com.</i>
