Snowboarders Arrested After Being Rescued

Three missing snowboarders were found Saturday night at Sierra-at-Tahoe -- and then arrested.

Saying it is cracking down on those who disregard resort boundary signs, the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department arrested the trio for allegedly boarding out of bounds deliberately.

"Instead of warning people ... we're going to go ahead and place them under arrest," said deputy Mike Sukau.

Ryan Belmer, 31, and 30-year-olds Trent Smith and Jason James will also be billed for the cost of the rescue by Sierra-at-Tahoe and the sheriff's department, officials said.

The aggressive action was taken largely because rescuers were put in significant danger when they entered areas where there was the risk of an avalanche, sheriff's officials said.

"It's definitely an avalanche danger," said Bob Shultz, who was involved in the rescue. "Plus, if you've ever tried skiing at night with a headlamp, looking for tracks, stuff can happen to you when you're doing that. It's not a safe situation."

Belmer, Smith and James could face up to six months in jail if convicted.

source: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/kcra/20011223/lo/1014837_1.html