Rutland Herald
A
North Chittenden man is facing a misdemeanor charge after police said he
caused a disruption at the Killington Resort in February.
Michael
Gordon Halliday, 45, of North Chittenden, pleaded not guilty on Monday
in Rutland criminal court to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct
for fighting.
Halliday, who is
representing himself, was offered a chance to go through the Court
Diversion program but rejected it. If he had successfully completed
Diversion, the charge would have been expunged from his record.
Halliday was released without bail on Monday.
In
an affidavit, Vermont State Police Trooper Charles Gardner said
Halliday reported he had been assaulted by a ski-lift operator on Feb.
16, around 1 p.m.
At the state
police Rutland barracks, Halliday told Gardner he was “wrongfully
accused of ‘ducking the ropes’” at Killington. Gardner said Halliday
explained that meant he had been accused of riding his snowboard through
roped-off sections around the chair lift.
Gardner asked if the accusation was true and Halliday denied it.
Halliday
said he had gotten on the ski lift but the operator refused to run it
because he believed Halliday ducked the ropes again.
“Halliday
advised he refused to leave the line. Halliday advised he told them
unless they tell him to leave the line, he wasn’t going to. I asked
Halliday, by them asking, wouldn’t it imply that he was being told to
leave the line. Halliday advised there is a difference between being
asked and being told,” Gardner wrote in the affidavit.
According
to Halliday, he was allowed to use the lift but ski patrol members met
him at the top of the mountain. They asked him to surrender his ski pass
but he refused, Halliday said in the affidavit.
Halliday
said he was tackled by John O’Leary, one of the ski patrol members. He
said ski patrol members demanded his pass again and he refused again but
eventually surrendered his pass and was allowed to leave.
Gardner
said Halliday told him the incident happened five hours before he spoke
with police. Gardner asked Halliday why he waited so long to report the
alleged assault and Halliday said he went to Rutland Regional Medical
Center.
Halliday gave Gardner paperwork from his visit to the hospital. Gardner said it showed Halliday was prescribed aspirin.
On Feb. 17, Gardner spoke with Killington ski patrol members.
Randy
McGuiness, one of the patrol members, said Halliday had reportedly gone
under a roped-off area twice and was being “loud and aggressive” with
the ski lift operator.
The incident allegedly shut down the ski lift for almost 10 minutes.
The operator was told to allow Halliday to ride the ski lift so ski patrol could deal with the situation.
McGuiness
confirmed that Halliday was asked for his ski pass and refused to show
it to the patrol members, but said he then pushed past two of them and
attempted to snowboard from the area.
McGuiness said he tried to stop Halliday and they both fell to the ground.
“Randy
advised ski patrol caught up to them and Halliday was frothing at the
mouth, then, a few minutes later, relinquished his pass,” Gardner said
in the affidavit.
O’Leary, the
Killington staff member who Halliday accused of assaulting him, told
Gardner that during the incident, he grabbed Halliday’s arm to keep him
in place until the ski patrol arrived.
“John
summed up the interaction with Halliday as Halliday yelling at the
Killington employees, failing to follow simple instructions and showing a
blatant disregard for the other guests at Killington,” Gardner said.
If convicted of the charge, Halliday could be sentenced to two months in prison.
patrick.mcardle
@rutlandherald.com
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