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Frankie Cruz (October 12, 2012) |
Two men from California who visited Danville to protest at the vice-presidential debate festival were arrested Thursday night, police said.
Frankie Cruz, 27, of Los Angeles, was “ranting” for about an hour as thousands of people attended the festival at Centre College, said Danville Police Chief Tony Gray. Police arrested him on a third-degree criminal trespassing charge, which is typically a misdemeanor crime. As of this morning, Cruz was being held without bond in Boyle County Detention Center pending an arraignment.
Miller G. Rives, 47, of Los Angeles, was arrested for disorderly conduct. He was in a tree in festival park for about an hour and 40 minutes, police said, yelling and refusing to come down. After the debate was over he was taken into custody without incident.
While the situation was a bit unsettling, Gray said the men did not make any threats and that the general public did not appear afraid.
Due to a team effort among federal, state and local authorities, there were very few situations besides the two arrests that required police or medical intervention in relation to the vice-presidential debate, Danville Fire Chief Woody Ball said today.
For weeks, U.S. Secret Service, Kentucky State Police as well as fire and police officials from Danville and surrounding areas carefully planned the logistics of emergency response during the debate at Centre College. Authorities not only were responsible for the safety of dignitaries, invited guests and media, but also responding to potential crimes, fires or medical emergencies in the debate area.
“Everyone’s planning and execution of the plan helped ensure that this special event went as smoothly as it possibly could,” Ball said.
There were no emergency calls for fire or medical help in or around the campus, the fire chief said.
