An Aspen High School student pleaded guilty Monday to underage possession of marijuana and resisting arrest as part of an agreement with prosecutors that will give him a clean record if he stays out of trouble for the next year.
The teen’s arrest spawned community debate pitting teen behavior and drug use against the police tactics used to take him into custody. Nearby students caught footage of the takedown arrest on their cellphones, posting the videos to social-media websites.
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At Monday’s hearing, held in the chambers of Pitkin County District Court Judge Gail Nichols, the student’s attorney said he wants to put the incident behind him. He’ll begin by writing letters of apology to arresting officer Adam Loudon and the Aspen Police Department. He also will undergo drug counseling and community service, said attorney Ryan Kalamaya.
In exchange for the guilty pleas, prosecutors dropped a misdemeanor charge of obstructing a police officer and one petty charge of underage possession of drug paraphernalia.
