Rock promoter could serve 30 years (LHC Rockfest)

[Phat Matt]

Rock promoter could serve 30 years
By TONY RAAP
Thursday, May 10, 2007 10:22 PM MST
A concert promoter who allegedly failed to pay tens of thousands of dollars to the band Cheap Trick could serve 30 years in prison if convicted, a prosecutor said Thursday.
Ron Paterson, 44, has been indicted on three felony theft charges after allegedly failing to pay nearly $75,000 to a Mohave Valley security company, the Howard Johnson motel and the band Cheap Trick.
Paterson, managing director of BKR Productions, was the promoter of Rockfest, a three-day music festival that drew several thousand concertgoers to Lake Havasu State Park Oct. 6-9.
Reports of nonpayment surfaced shortly after the festival ended. Yet prosecutors took more than seven months to file charges, causing many to wonder whether Paterson would be charged at all.
“This was a very sensitive case. There was a lot of evidence that we needed to go through. We wanted to make sure we went through all the evidence with a fine-tooth comb,” said Jeremy Huss, the deputy county attorney prosecuting the case.
“It had nothing to do with the investigation. The Lake Havasu City Police Department did an excellent job investigating the case. We just wanted to take our time with it to make sure that we were thorough,” Huss said.
Paterson was charged with two counts of class-two felony theft and one count of class-three felony theft. He could serve anywhere from two to 30 years if convicted, Huss said.
Asked whether a plea agreement was a possibility, Huss said, “I really can't discuss that at this point.”
Paterson allegedly failed to pay $33,500 to Cheap Trick, $33,000 to Experience Security Service and $8,461.08 to the Howard Johnson motel, police Lt. Rich Sloma said.
Police received at least five reports of nonpayment totaling more than $200,000, Today's News-Herald reported in October.
That information was turned over to the Mohave County Attorney's Office, which decided to prosecute only those complaints that would hold up in court, Huss said.
“There's a very fine line between somebody being a bad businessman and somebody actually intending to commit a crime. That's what we had to sift through,” he said.
Huss declined to comment on whether Paterson could face additional charges.
Paterson was arrested Tuesday night at his son's Little League game. He posted bond four hours later.
He will make his initial court appearance May 24 at 10 a.m. in Lake Havasu Consolidated Court.
Rockfest cost $1.2 million to put on, Paterson told Today's News-Herald in October. The festival's featured headliners included the Doobie Brothers, Black Crowes, Blues Traveler and Buckcherry.
It was never clear how many people actually attended the event. Before the concert, Paterson said he had sold 16,500 tickets. But several vendors said the crowds were much thinner.
You may contact the reporter at raap@havasunews.com.

[Quest4Fun]

This is old news, he was arrested again on Friday May 18th and has been held in Kingman Jail on a $100,000 bond ever since on another charge not related to Rockfest. He appears in court this morning, I think related to the first charge.

[Phat Matt]

This is old news, he was arrested again on Friday May 18th and has been held in Kingman Jail on a $100,000 bond ever since on another charge not related to Rockfest. He appears in court this morning, I think related to the first charge.
I know it's from the 10th but I just saw it. I was talking to him about this event but never ran any ads. Looks to be a good thing.

[franky]

This is old news, he was arrested again on Friday May 18th and has been held in Kingman Jail on a $100,000 bond ever since on another charge not related to Rockfest. He appears in court this morning, I think related to the first charge.
I called this one way before the event. I think the second arrest was still for the Rockfest just more victoms (cases).