POLICE TO PAY FOR DAMAGES

FRISCO - The Summit County Drug Task Force will pay a
yet-to-be-determined amount to repair the damage police inflicted on a
Meadow Villa II condominium during an attempted drug raid Sunday morning.

A judge granted the task force a search warrant to enter the home of
Josh Brudwick and Kate Rhodes after they received tips of an odor that
led police to believe the couple might be manufacturing crystal
methamphetamine.

The search yielded nothing, but left in its path damage to doors,
their frames, a mirror and other items.

As of Tuesday, Brudwick and Rhodes were waiting to learn how much it
would cost to put their place back together.

According to Undersheriff Derek Woodman of the Sheriff's Office, it's
not the task force's policy to replace items it breaks in a raid gone
awry. Police did so in another drug raid in Wildernest about five
years ago, when a door was damaged.

"It's just the right thing to do," he said.

Repairing the public's faith in the Sheriff's Office - particularly
before the Aug. 10 primary elections, in which Sheriff John Minor is
pitted against former Sheriff's Capt. Mike Phibbs - could be a little
more difficult, but not impossible.

"The bottom line is to be straight up about it," Woodman said. "We're
not trying to hide anything. If there's an error, we're honest and
forthright and go from there. The biggest thing is not to hide
something. It's obvious when you do that."

Minor said Monday he would personally deliver the check and apologize
to the couple - even though he remains suspicious because all the
clues were there, but they weren't able to find any drugs or
paraphernalia.

The use of crystal methamphetamine hasn't swept through Summit County
as it has other areas - but it's close. It started out on the Front
Range of Colorado, and has increasingly been reported in rural areas,
including Grand, Park, Eagle and Clear Creek counties, Woodman said.

Why it's not the drug of choice in Summit County - cocaine and
marijuana are more prevalent - is unknown.

"We don't have an explanation," Woodman said. "Summit County, for
whatever reason, seems to be a couple of years behind the trends of
popular, illegal narcotics. When we had the crack epidemic years ago
on the Front Range, it really never hit Summit County - there's no
explanation."

Police have discussed whether its lack of prevalence could be related
to the higher education or income levels of Summit County residents,
but nothing has ever been confirmed.

Equally as rare are meth labs.

"Fortunately for Summit County, encounters with labs have been very,
very minimal," Woodman said. "There have been four in about 10 years.
It's a great thing. But we know undoubtedly, inevitably we will
encounter one because of the growing popularity of the drug and the
simplicity of the manufacturing process. That's why we're prepared for
it."

One of the byproducts of making of crystal methamphetamine is phosgene
gas, which is highly odiferous and explosive. That's the concern
police had when they get a tip about bad odors coming from the the
suspected unit.

They also haven't ruled out the possibility that there might be a
different reason for the odor - a smell the couple's neighbors say
they have never detected.

Jim Wheeler, who lives in a nearby condo, said his building was
invaded by squirrels about five years ago. The critters brought food
into a hole in the wall, the food got wet and developed a rancid smell.

"For a while it was a total mystery," he said. "Why is this smell in
this unit? They're difficult to pin down. There are a thousand things
that can make a building stink."

If there is another report of an odor in that building, Woodman said
police will investigate - possibly with the health department.

In the meantime, Katie Rhodes' parents plan to sue the man they
believe is responsible for reporting the alleged odors.

"Someone has it out for them," her mother, Judith Rhodes of Branson,
Mo., said. "They don't like the fact that Josh and Katie are living
together and they're not married. This could happen to anybody. If a
neighbor of mine got mad at me, they could do this to me."