SWAT teams called to PIB

PUT-IN-BAY — Put-in-Bay police put in a call for assistance with a large, unruly crowd of thousands on Saturday. Police Chief James Kimble reached out to the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office Saturday evening due to an out-of-control crowd, according to Sheriff Stephen Levorchick. Levorchick was told the crowd exceeded 18,000 people. He said he was told there were "fights everywhere," and security at a downtown ferry terminal was close to losing dock control. "I wasn't going to go over with five guys and be overrun," Levorchick said. He called his dispatch center and asked that they assemble the county's SWAT team. He also requested Erie County Sheriff Paul Sigsworth and Sandusky County Sheriff Chris Hilton to send their special response teams to help deal with the crowd. Port Clinton police Chief David Scott was also asked to send officers. He sent three officers and they were assigned to the downtown ferry dock. The first team of 10-11 deputies arrived in the village at approximately 8:15 p.m., Levorchick said. "We hadn't even left the Jet Express dock before we were called to a fight," he said. "It was fight after fight after fight for a little while." After quelling the fights, deputies moved to the DeRivera Park area and began dispersing the crowd. "It worked out well," Levorchick said. "We had numbers; we were on foot communicating with people." Levorchick said his deputies arrested two people: one for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest and the other for domestic violence. He said deputies also assisted in several arrests handled by village police. The last ferry from the terminal at the south end of South Bass Island departed at 9 p.m. People rushing to make it on the last few ferries from that terminal helped reduce the crowd. Deputies from Erie and Sandusky counties also arrived around 9 p.m. By that time, Levorchick said, the scene had calmed down considerably. In order to avoid problems at the two mainland ferry terminals, Levorchick requested Border Patrol and the State Patrol to respond to those locations. Also aiding village police with the crowd was an Ohio Department of Natural Resources officer who was stationed at South Bass Island State Park.