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Boulder bikers, joggers confront bridge trolls
Provided by: Boulder County Sheriff

Contributed by: Jeff Thomas/YourHub.com on 7/11/2006


As if Boulder didn't have enough to think about, what with attempting to singlehandedly stop global warming and the war in Iraq.

But now the myriad joggers and the bicyclists of this fair city have a problem that many might have previously believed confined to Scandinavian legends and fairy tales.

Bridge trolls.

According to reports from the Boulder police, several joggers encountered a modern-day variety of bridge trolls in a park near the intersection of Foothills Highway and Colorado Avenue shortly after noon on July 7, although the trolls may have taken it a step too far when they challenged an off-duty Boulder County sheriff's deputy.
Police said they came across the encounter about 12:27 p.m., in which the off-duty sergeant faced off with Robert Hibbs, of Boulder, armed with broken golf clubs.

As the police officers took Hibbs, 19, into custody he allegedly insisted he was a troll and claimed the bridge as his own, reports state.
Several witnesses noted that Hibbs and companion Bradley Boville, 19, were confronting joggers and bikers attempting to cross the bridge, demanding a dollar.

Boville, who lives nearby in an apartment on the 4200 block of Monroe Boulevard, did not tell police he believed himself to be a troll, but did offer an alternative explanation, telling police he thought Hibbs was having a bad trip.

Boville told police he had taken a single tab of LSD, and Hibbs had taken two tabs. The two had rolled a big joint, he allegedly told police and found themselves without either a lighter or a dollar with which to buy a lighter and had subsequently begun asking people for money who were crossing the bridge.

The off-duty deputy painted a more violent side to the situation, saying he came up on the bridge and apparently having neither a piece of gold nor a goat with which to gain passage forced his way past Hibbs, who responded by hitting the deputy's bicycle tire with a golf club.

The deputy was apparently able to secure a golf club himself, with which he struck Hibbs across the chest and shoulder, reports state, breaking the club, but not fazing Hibbs. Hibbs' bloodied his nose, police said they were able to ascertain, before meeting up with the off-duty deputy.

The off-duty sergeant and other witnesses said that after they crossed the bridge, Hibbs would tell Boville go stab them. Boville insisted to police that he had not stabbed anyone, which was apparently true.

The strangest part of the reports, however, noted that a large joint found in Boville's front pocket appeared to be rolled out of two one-dollar bills. Police said Boville took them to his nearby apartment, where they confiscated three more grams of marijuana, 11 marijuana pipes and bongs and a number of other golf clubs.

Hibbs was arrested for investigation off menacing and possession of a controlled substance. Boville was arrested for investigation of possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.

Both apparently finished their trip, or perhaps fantasy, lodged at Boulder County Jail.


http://denver.yourhub.com/Story.aspx?contentid=103117

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