Sheriff considering more security efforts after another disturbance

Pepper spray was used during a clash at the Rice County Fair Saturday night, according to the county sheriff. Multiple law enforcement officers and fair volunteers were assaulted in the disturbance involving primarily teenagers, Sheriff Jesse Thomas said.

Multiple people were detained and released and two were issued misdemeanor citations.

The affray was despite extra efforts to curb what’s become a pattern involving young fair attendees when the fair rides close each year, the sheriff said. And it marred an otherwise positive year for the fair, he said.

“It was a great fair with the exception of a two-hour window Saturday night,” Thomas said.

The disturbance started around 10 p.m. in the midway after authorities confronted a suspect about a stolen tip jar. It escalated with 100 or more people involved, most of whom Thomas said appeared to be teenagers from the Somali community.

One person was punched in the face and other officers and fair volunteers were hit or pushed and one fell, according to the sheriff. Fair board member Dave Miller sustained a broken arm, other board members told the Daily News.

Rides shut down and people were escorted out of the midway area.

Shortly after the fight there was a report of possible gunshots in the area of the fair. No evidence of gunshots were found and fireworks also were reported in the area around that time, Thomas said.

Deputies also investigated threats made on social media stemming from Saturday’s incident but deemed them not credible.

A meeting was held Sunday with representatives of the fair board, Sheriff’s Office, and Goldstar Amusements. The ride vendor decided to shut down the rides before dark on Sunday.

The Sheriff’s Office is in charge of fair security and nighttime disturbances have become an annual problem, according to Thomas. In recent years he said they have occurred around the time the rides shut down and involved Somali young people.

That prompted Thomas to hold meetings with Somali community organizations in the lead-up to the fair. Those meetings led to the addition of Somali “liaisons” who worked each night of the fair aiming to help monitor for and break up skirmishes.

Thomas said he intends to meet with fair organizers and community partners in the coming years to consider enacting other measures aimed at preventing fair violence. Shutting down the rides at an earlier time is one possibility.