Snowboard King Accused Of Setting Off Fire Extinguisher

BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. -- Olympic snowboarder Shaun White was cited last week for criminal tampering, accused of setting off a fire extinguisher at a Breckenridge lodge.White was also questioned the same day about a stolen car but authorities say he is not suspected of stealing the vehicle.Summit County sheriff spokeswoman Paulette Horr said deputies interviewed White about the stolen 2000 Audi on Friday because he was in the vicinity. She said White was not arrested and has been ruled out as a suspect.

The car was recovered outside the Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge, a ski town about 60 miles west of Denver. The fire extinguisher was set off in a game room at Beaver Run the same day, though it wasn't immediately clear which happened first.A Breckenridge police report said a security camera recorded someone setting off the fire extinguisher, and White's clothes and shoes appeared to match what the person on the video was wearing.The report also said White's shoes matched footprints left in the powder from the fire extinguisher and that a witness said he saw "a white male with long red hair pulling the pin from the fire extinguisher."Police cited White on a charge of second-degree criminal tampering. He was ordered to appear in municipal court on March 10. After he was given the summons, White signed it and then wadded it up and shoved it into his jacket pocket, according to the Denver Post.A police report said his breath smelled of alcohol when investigators spoke with him. In the report, police said the video showed the prankster holding a pool cue and "playfully" chasing a young woman around video game machines in the room.White's telephone in Carlsbad, Calif., repeatedly rang busy Tuesday.The 21-year-old White has been dubbed "The Flying Tomato" for his red hair. He won the gold medal in the snowboard halfpipe in the 2006 Olympics.He is a regular competitor at Winter X Games in Aspen and was in Breckenridge last week for the U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix, where he took gold in the halfpipe on Saturday, according to the Aspen Times.