Sexploitation, Art and Crime in Aspen

Associated Press
07/15/10 1:30 PM PDT

The verdict is in. Click here.

ASPEN, COLO. — A trial is under way for a former Aspen police officer charged with placing a video camera in a shower used by his teenage stepdaughter.

Joe Holman is charged with attempted sexual exploitation of a child and attempted criminal invasion of privacy. He resigned in June 2009 after the allegation surfaced.

In opening statements Wednesday, defense attorney H. Lawson Wills said the camera didn't work and that Holman had put it in the shower on an impulse because he was angry at the girl and knew she would find it and become upset.

Prosecutor Jonathan Pototsky argued that Holman wanted to videotape the girl in the nude.

Holman is also charged with tampering with evidence. His lawyer has acknowledged Holman destroyed the camera after the girl found it.

Read More; click  Aspen Cop Sex Trial  and Aspen Cop part 2 

                                                                                                                                                                   

In an unrelated story, an alleged Art Forgery at Royal Street Gallery

Royal Street Art Investigation

No Charges Filed in Gallery Case

ASPEN, CO - 07/14/2010 - The Aspen Police Department has conducted a thorough investigation into complaints of possible fraud and forgery involving art sales at Royal Street Gallery, and has concluded that allegations against the owners of the gallery are unfounded. The original case was opened in October 2009.

The case is still currently open and active, while investigators intend to continue pursuing information related to the original complaint. The gallery and its owners are not suspect in the continuing aspect of the investigation.

Because of intense media scrutiny in this case, the Aspen Police Department is putting out this limited statement about the status of the case.

If anyone has more information regarding this case, please contact the Aspen Police at (970) 920-5400. For questions, contact Community Relations Specialist Stephanie Dasaro.

Read more; click  Crimes of Art

Aspen Food and Wine Classic by Nancy Nevin

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A. Party is still in ski-hab, but special thanks to Aspen entrepreneur Nancy Nevin of Ajax Technology Group who covered the 2010  Aspen Food and Wine Classic for AspenSpin.  Click AJAX Technology Group to see her live web cam on Aspen Mountain. Thanks NN.

It was a picture perfect weekend in Aspen for the opening Grand Tasting for Food & Wine 2010.The crowds are back! Perhaps a sign of the recession fading?The lines of people waiting to get in for the kick-off Grand Tasting were the longest we’ve seen in years.Hotels are fully booked, throngs of people are milling about the town under the brilliant blue skies of Aspen. Last week’s snow still caps the mountain tops and we have to pinch ourselves it’s so beautiful. But enough pontificating about the outdoor beauty,let’s go have some fun at Food & Wine.

Perhaps Food & Wine is becoming more “mainstream” America as we spotted QVC doing there shooting a commercial.

 

QVC in Aspen?  dire qu'il n'est pas si. We were on a search for celebrity chefs and it didn’t take us long to find Mario Rizzotti serving up authentic Italian delicacies at the Academia Barilla table.   Favoloso !

 Top Chef’s Fabio Viviani had created a tasty little dish of roasted beets, seared scallop, and, not to hard to guess, Bertolli Olive Oil. It was great and Chef Viviani had no problem handling his new celebrity status and requests for photos and autographs, most of which seemed to come from beautiful young women!  

  Not wanting to alienate our French friends, we next stopped to sample the wonderful artisan liqueur from St-Germain Liqueur. Made from elderflower blossoms, we sampled this on the rocks. But the hot day had us dreaming of mixing up the “Pear Tree Martini” recipe in the little cocktail booklet St-Germain was handing out. Nonetheless, the kids working the booth were having a good time – and it was only 12:30.

 

The folks at Baron Philippe de Rothschild created the best booth of the whole show. They offered a beautiful assortment of wines to choose from and you could dress up using their props and become part of a future ad campaign.

A favorite of ours is Flora Springs Winery of St. Helen, CA. Flora Springs started as a hobby 30 years ago by Jerry And Flora Komes. Andrew Raifaisen was in charge of pouring today…too bad we couldn’t get him to crack open that magnum.

  To complete the multi-cultural experience, we stopped by to sample the wines of Lykos Winery from Greece. Wow. Michael Papas shared the story of how this winery grew out of a family restaurant business. The restaurant has been serving for 45 years on the small island of Euboea, 80 km from Athens. They started with a small vineyard to produce wines served in the restaurant and it ‘blossomed’ (pun intended) from there. The dessert wine, “Meaikoz” was the perfect mix of sweet and complex. So we fell in love with it; credit card in hand to stock up but alas, it is not yet sold in the US. Such are the hardships of a visit to Food & Wine!  

Eric Fullerton and his new bride Jody Fisher with a 3rd party.  

          Stewart Vandenberg, Pennie Haase, Clifford Pereira of Alexander Valley Vinyards.Sarah and Toni passed out the goodies for Green & Black 

Aspen's favorite local Choclatier Heather Morrow at her F & W booth.

 Dog and Kids always know the best way to cool off-- Aspen's iconic shooting fountain.

Gracie had a long day at The 2010 Food and Wine Classic in Aspen.

Aspen Spun

It's all over except the Arthroscopy.  Aspen's ski season came to an explosive end on Sunday.... but what a way to go out.  A picture perfect Colorado blue-bird day greeted the revelers and rippers on Ajax.  You can kiss the Aspen 2009/10 ski season goodbye (except for private ski day today and 2 more add-on weekends). 

AspenSpin documented the POW, the PIX and the PEOPLE...

Click.  ASPEN SPUN  and LAST LAP (pix on FaceBook).

  

Aspen Highlands: The Rave (part 2)

Aspen Highlands Closing Day 2010. Click 4 pixThe POW, the PIX, the PEOPLE--it all came together for Aspen Highlands closing day 2010. The entire staff of AspenSpin.com ripped a few early POWDER runs, then we attended a series of on-mountain parties (see separate posting below). Late in the day we rode one final lap at Aspen Highlands for 2010 and eventually joined the festivities at the base (already in progress). That's when things started to get blurry.  AspenSpin snapped 1000's of photos at The Rave, but we can't remember anything.  Blotto.

It was a full on RAVE at the base of Aspen Highlands. Music, booze, dancing, costumes, extra curriculars. Stimuli abounded.  All five of our senses were tapped to the fullest.  What really happened????  Only the camera knows.

Click   The RAVE.  See the pix.  Were you there??? 

 

 

KICK ASPEN / Spring Loded

KSPN's Blitzenbanger Ball (40th annual) went off at Aspen Highlands.18" of Fresh POW sent the Aspen Fashion Week crowd off with a bang. Spring has officially sprung in Aspen. It wasn't the super- light blower we luv so much, but a foot and a half of POWDER SNOW dropped in Aspen on Friday followed by the bluest bluebirds on Sat. & Sun.  It was easily one of the siiiiickest weekends of the season.  AspenSpin has been employing the 3" rule all seaz, so based on the Partyian Theorem, the entire staff at A-Spin gets the next 6 days off.  3" x 6 dayz = 18".  Our whole company needs a vay-cay because it was a HUGE weekend of POW-POW, parties & music to celebrate the vernal equinox.

See pix from  KICK ASPEN (a ginormous BIG Air event on AJAX). FALLEN FRIENDS Memorial *and KSPN's BLITZENBANGER BASH at Aspen Highlands--capped off by the VAMPIRE WEEKEND show in downtown Aspen.  Everyone in Aspen went BIG this weekend,  CLICK any link or photo to see our photo albums on FaceBook.  

Vampire Weekend played to a HUGE crowd in Downtown Aspen. Photo: Jeremy Swanson /ASC

Sam Ferguson hucks the 80 foot booter on Ajax for KICK ASPEN. Photo: Jeremy Swanson / ASC

The Ninja Turtles took top honors at the 2nd Annual Fallen Friends Memorial at Aspen Highlands.