Off-road event strains law enforcement, spurs complaints

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Law enforcement personnel stepped up their presence over the weekend around Brick's Off Road Park, where an estimated crowd of up to 15,000 people partied at its Trucks Gone Wild event and two serious accidents occurred, including one that killed a Gordonville woman.

Officers also cited underage drinkers, including one who registered a .20 blood-alcohol content, and heard complaints from residents near the park who were unable to get to their homes due to traffic.

The Butler County Sheriff's Department also was inundated with 911 calls requesting emergency medical personnel for injuries and medical conditions, such as heat exhaustion.

On Friday night, a 20-year-old Gordonville woman, Marissa S. Hill, died when the ATV she was riding on failed to negotiate a curve and overturned, throwing her.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Lt. Jeff Vitale said it was "very difficult to get in there to respond to the incident. ... The road was muddy. Traffic was jammed up."

Lori S. Garner, 50, of Poplar Bluff was paralyzed that weekend after her car was struck by a truck leaving Brick's.

Friday morning began with a report of an assault at 6 a.m., said Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper Jerry Hunter, who was told an estimated 4,100 people were in the park at the time.

"A drunk guy got his vehicle stuck in a mud pit and supposedly was assaulted by unknown people," said Hunter, who later Friday would cite a minor in possession of alcohol.

As the day progressed, patrol Sgt. Darrin Tackett said, traffic began backing up on County Road 484 for sizable distances as the volume of traffic "jumped."

Traffic on Friday was "unbelievable," said Tackett, who indicated Saturday's traffic numbers were comparable.

That area of Butler County, Vitale said, doesn't have the infrastructure to handle "that type of traffic" in and out of Brick's.

"We've had numerous residents call in and complain about this, traffic being backed up," said Vitale, who indicated troopers saturated the area Friday, writing tickets for a variety of violations.

Vitale said he contacted Brick's owner, Jay Brickell, who had "engaged one of our officers on a traffic stop on County Road 484."

Trooper Daniel Dalton, Vitale said, had made a traffic stop just after midnight Friday in which Brickell confronted him about "you guys (being) at it again." Brickell, Dalton said, was referring to the patrol's stepped up enforcement presence in the area.

"In my conversation with him, I told him I did not want him engaging my officers on traffic stops; if he's got a problem, he can call me," Vitale said. "I also told him it was his responsibility to make sure people leaving his premises are not impaired."

Vitale said he told Brickell he had "made no effort to partner with us to provide traffic control."

After last year's event, Vitale said, he and Lt. Jon Pruiett had spoken with Brickell about how he "needed to come to us before the event" so a traffic-control plan could be made where officers could help get traffic in and out during "peak times."

Message boards also could be used, he said, as part of the plan to warn motorists about traffic.

Phone numbers were exchanged, but "he made no contact with any of us," Vitale said.

"We try to work with them," Brickell said. "I think they try to work with us. We don't want to see people drinking and driving. ... We are continuing to work to improve the venues we have in any way we can."

Brickell said he doesn't control traffic.

"We're working on our system, our traffic system here in the park," Brickell said. "We're sharing that with them. I don't control what they do on the highway or how they do it."

Vitale said it was "total chaos" in the park.

"It was very dark; you couldn't see vehicles driving in the area," Vitale said. "There was no control."

On Saturday, highway patrol trooper J.T. Wilson said, he stopped a car with three 17- and 18-year-olds.

"They had three coolers in the car of beer and liquor bought at Brick's at the Shack at the entrance," said Wilson, who indicted the 17-year-old registered a blood-alcohol content of .20 on a portable breath test.

Like those teens, Wilson said, he issued tickets to two other minors leaving the park with beer-filled coolers.

Between Thursday and Sunday, Vitale said, troopers issued about 225 tickets for traffic offenses.