GreggFromJoisey
11-06-2007, 10:15 AM
from www.Eddietrunk.com
Ozzy Osbourne Angry That His Name Is Used In A Police Sting
Posted By DSR on 11.03.07
RollingStone.com reports:
This week Ozzy Osbourne is angry. Perviously, the former Black Sabbath frontman focused his fury on illegal downloaders. Now, Osbourne is "outraged" at a sheriff in Fargo, North Dakota, for using an Osbourne/Rob Zombie concert on Monday to attract and then arrest fans on outstanding warrants.
In a statement, Osbourne insists he had no knowledge of the sting operation Fargo sheriff Paul D. Laney masterminded without permission. As previoulsy reported, Laney and several other area task forces scheduled a fake pre-concert party, then mailed out invitations to some of Fargo’s least finest. When the invitees showed up (the charges ranged from failure to pay child support to unpaid parking tickets to drug charges), they were greeted with handcuffs and those arrest warrants. After the successful sting operation netted forty perps, Laney held a congratulatory press conference, which especially irked Ozzy.
"Instead of holding a press conference to pat himself on the back," says Osbourne, "Sheriff Laney should be apologizing to me for using my name in connection with these arrests."
"Sheriff Laney went out of his way to tarnish my reputation by implying that I somehow attract a criminal element, which is certainly not true. My audiences are good hard-working people who have been hugely supportive of my music for nearly four decades," Ozzy continued.
"We meant no disrespect toward Mr. Osbourne or his show,” Laney said. "What we did was a very creative law enforcement technique to lure individuals who had active criminal warrants to come to us."
Laney, who said he had been contacted earlier in the day by ABC News in New York and Good Morning America, said he wasn’t looking for national exposure.
He said the press conference held after more than 30 people were arrested at Playmakers bar, the site of the sting, was to let the community know his office was doing its best to serve the approximately 3,000 outstanding warrants it must deal with.
Laney maintained that mentioning Osbourne’s name in pre-concert party invitations sent to 500 individuals with outstanding warrants was no different than a bar advertising a Super Bowl party by mentioning the teams playing in the game.
"They (wanted individuals) get very creative in how they abscond from the law. We just got real creative in how we reeled them in," Laney said.
Despite Laney's sting operation, Ozzy insists he holds no grudges against Fargo, and hopes to return to the city under "more favorable circumstances."
sources: RollingStone.com and Dave Olson of in-forum.com.
Ozzy Osbourne Angry That His Name Is Used In A Police Sting
Posted By DSR on 11.03.07
RollingStone.com reports:
This week Ozzy Osbourne is angry. Perviously, the former Black Sabbath frontman focused his fury on illegal downloaders. Now, Osbourne is "outraged" at a sheriff in Fargo, North Dakota, for using an Osbourne/Rob Zombie concert on Monday to attract and then arrest fans on outstanding warrants.
In a statement, Osbourne insists he had no knowledge of the sting operation Fargo sheriff Paul D. Laney masterminded without permission. As previoulsy reported, Laney and several other area task forces scheduled a fake pre-concert party, then mailed out invitations to some of Fargo’s least finest. When the invitees showed up (the charges ranged from failure to pay child support to unpaid parking tickets to drug charges), they were greeted with handcuffs and those arrest warrants. After the successful sting operation netted forty perps, Laney held a congratulatory press conference, which especially irked Ozzy.
"Instead of holding a press conference to pat himself on the back," says Osbourne, "Sheriff Laney should be apologizing to me for using my name in connection with these arrests."
"Sheriff Laney went out of his way to tarnish my reputation by implying that I somehow attract a criminal element, which is certainly not true. My audiences are good hard-working people who have been hugely supportive of my music for nearly four decades," Ozzy continued.
"We meant no disrespect toward Mr. Osbourne or his show,” Laney said. "What we did was a very creative law enforcement technique to lure individuals who had active criminal warrants to come to us."
Laney, who said he had been contacted earlier in the day by ABC News in New York and Good Morning America, said he wasn’t looking for national exposure.
He said the press conference held after more than 30 people were arrested at Playmakers bar, the site of the sting, was to let the community know his office was doing its best to serve the approximately 3,000 outstanding warrants it must deal with.
Laney maintained that mentioning Osbourne’s name in pre-concert party invitations sent to 500 individuals with outstanding warrants was no different than a bar advertising a Super Bowl party by mentioning the teams playing in the game.
"They (wanted individuals) get very creative in how they abscond from the law. We just got real creative in how we reeled them in," Laney said.
Despite Laney's sting operation, Ozzy insists he holds no grudges against Fargo, and hopes to return to the city under "more favorable circumstances."
sources: RollingStone.com and Dave Olson of in-forum.com.