Police Blotter – The Durango Herald

The Blotter

Durango Police Department La Plata County Sheriff’s Office Thursday 10:11 a.m. Trucks and trailers were trespassing in the area of County Road 107. 7:04 p.m. A fence broke and ...

DATE: Jul 30, 2021 | CATEGORY: Regional News

The Blotter

Durango Police Department Tuesday 8:24 a.m. Vehicle tires were slashed in the 1800 block of East Second Avenue. 3:54 p.m. A man’s son was assaulted at Buckley Park. Monday 10:19...

DATE: Jul 29, 2021 | CATEGORY: Regional News

The Blotter

La Plata County Sheriff’s Office Monday 10:02 a.m. Someone’s neighbor made verbal threats over issues with cows in the area of Wildcat Canyon Road (County Road 141). 10:43 a.m. Sear...

DATE: Jul 27, 2021 | CATEGORY: Regional News

The Blotter

La Plata County Sheriff’s Office Thursday 7:30 a.m. Bears were getting into trash cans in the area of Durango West I. 2:12 p.m. A power line was down and in contact with a vehicle ...

DATE: Jul 23, 2021 | CATEGORY: Regional News

The Blotter

Durango Police Department Wednesday 9:08 a.m. A man was yelling and throwing rocks in the 100 block of Rocky Point Drive. 11:55 a.m. A stolen vehicle was reported in the 20400 bloc...

DATE: Jul 22, 2021 | CATEGORY: Regional News

The Blotter

La Plata County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday 3:45 p.m. Someone was arrested on suspicion of a drug violation in the area of Bayfield Parkway and U.S. Highway 160 east. 5:32 p.m. A woma...

DATE: Jul 21, 2021 | CATEGORY: Regional News

The Blotter

Durango Police Department Monday 12:52 p.m. A 6-year-old boy was seen running away in the 200 block of Animas View Drive. 8:21 p.m. An arrest was made after a customer harassed an ...

DATE: Jul 20, 2021 | CATEGORY: Regional News

The Blotter

Durango Police Department Friday 12:48 a.m. A 26-year-old man was assaulted and was bleeding from the lip in the 600 block of Main Avenue. Thursday 9:34 a.m. Two toddlers were runni...

DATE: Jul 16, 2021 | CATEGORY: Regional News

The Blotter

La Plata County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday 12:04 a.m. Five children were jumping out and attempting to kick cars in the area of County Road 203. 1:31 a.m. A vehicle was smoking in ...

DATE: Jul 15, 2021 | CATEGORY: Regional News

The Blotter

Durango Police Department Monday 12:58 a.m. A building caught fire in the 600 block of South Camino del Rio. 11:28 a.m. Someone was arrested after trying to cash a forged check in ...

DATE: Jul 14, 2021 | CATEGORY: Regional News

The Blotter

La Plata County Sheriff’s Office Thursday 3:32 p.m. A large amount of smoke was seen coming from a roof in the area of Estancia. 7:52 p.m. A man drove by the river and threw trash i...

DATE: Jul 9, 2021 | CATEGORY: Regional News

The Blotter

Durango Police Department Wednesday 4:32 p.m. A man was arrested on suspicion of violating a protection order after allegedly groping someone in the 1200 block of Camino del Rio. 6...

DATE: Jul 8, 2021 | CATEGORY: Regional News

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Patriotic drone show unfolds above Durango’s night skyAbout 1,200 people watched production from city Transit Center

One hundred forty drones took to the skies above Greenmount Cemetery at 10 p.m. sharp Saturday in a glowing and patriotic spectacle featuring vibrant images colored red, white and blue against the black backdrop of night.About 1,200 people gathered Saturday at the Durango Transit Center to watch the city’s premiere drone show produced by Verge Aero after a street dance and band performance by McCurry Trio and Desert Child for Independence Day celebrations.Spectators were treated to drone depictions of the American flag, star patterns, a soaring bald eagle and a homage to the city with drones flying in formation to spell out “Durango” to close out the street dance that started at 6 p.m. Across the valley from Greenmount Cemetery, the headlights of cars shined from Rim Drive near Fort Lewis College where more spectators watched.

Ellen Babers, Durango community events administrator, said the show went well. She heard “Ooh’s” and “ah’s” from the crowd when the drones transitioned from one image to another.She said a segment that consisted of stars rotating at various intervals, shrinking into smaller stars before expanding into the shape of a larger star, appeared to be a crowd favorite.“People really liked the Durango part,” she said. “When it spelled out Durango, people seemed surprised. Like, ‘Oh, this isn’t just a generic show, this is about us.’”Other images included an outline of the continental United States, the letters “USA,” and a spinning globe shape that gave the drone show a 3D feel.

The drones were laid out earlier in the evening in a square grid, with each drone placed 4 feet apart. Peter Smiatek, pilot and designer of the drone show, worked with a crew of about six people, including volunteers. Saturday evening at Greenmount Cemetery where the drones launched and landed, Peter Smiatek, pilot and designer with Verge Aero, and his crew of about six people, including volunteers, had laid all the drones out on the grass in a square grid. Each drone was placed four feet apart. Smiatek synced the drones to a GPS and radio tower in preparation for the evening’s show. Six minutes before takeoff, a deer wandered straight past the drone grid, narrowly avoiding stepping on them.“That could have been a disaster,” Smiatek said as his crew scanned the nearby area with flashlights. No other deer were visible.Two minutes before takeoff, the crew’s portable generator shut off – out of gas.

“We have double secure power,” he said. “The generator fell off two minutes before the show started. It’s like Murphy’s law, anything that could happen will happen. So it’s best to be prepared.”During prep, the crew ran several tests with the drones. The drones shot up 3 to 4 meters, hovered for about one second and then dropped back to their designated grid space on the grass.

Smiatek worked from a makeshift command station where his laptop and transmission tower were perched.“The base station is the heart of the show,” he said. “It’s a computer and it’s a distribution system connected to radios and an antenna. And that’s it, basically. Very flexible and a good system.”Chris Lutts, vice president of sales at Verge Aero, said he thinks Durangoans enjoyed the performance. From Greenmount Cemetery, he could hear the cheers and whistles of the audience at the Durango Transit Center.“The people we’ve been working with have been great,” he said. “Clearly, the city enjoyed it, so that’s awesome. That’s why we do this. It’s no different than any other entertainment, man. You love that feedback. It’s validation that what you’re doing is something that people really like.”cburney@durangoherald.com