Photo by Ben Kaye
For those worried that the lovely couple who got betrothed at Bonnaroo were tempting thieves with that engagement ring, or that the Bonnagrannies were facing dangerous conditions, fear not; the Times Free Press is reporting that the 13th edition of Bonnaroo was one of the safest ever.
Preliminary numbers from local law enforcement show a general decrease in unlawful activity, and for the second time since 2009, there were no deaths connected to the festival. Really, that positive note right there could end the article, but here are the stats:
The Tennessee Highway Patrol reportedly put in 5,600 combined work hours over six days, during which they investigated 11 vehicular accidents which only resulted in property damage. 17 accidents were reported last year, with one resulting in two fatalities and a handful of serious injuries. The THP also issued 40 moving violations (10 of which were DUIs, 17 for speeding, and 2 for reckless driving) and 87 nonmoving ones (including 22 revoked/suspended license violations, seven seat-belt violations, and one open container violation).
“This is one of the safest Bonnaroo weekends we’ve ever worked,” Col. Tracy Trott of the THP stated in a news release. “Our troopers did a great job managing the heavy volume of traffic on Interstate 24 and the surrounding roadways.”
For their part, the Coffee County Sheriff’s office handed out 258 citations and responded to 30 calls regarding theft and property crimes, though more reports are still coming in. However, though the numbers seem like a general improvement, Sheriff Steve Graves notes that arrests by all agencies involved – THP, Sheriff’s Office, Manchester Police Department and the judicial district drug task force – were actually up a bit from last year, with 60 individuals being booked.
Still, most of those incidents involved drugs and public intoxication, and Graves says there was overall “a whole lot less” violent crimes this year than last. “It was a good year,” he stated, adding, “No one died. It’s a good year when nobody dies.” Cheers to that, sir.
