Police report from Burning Man: 44 arrests, 1 death, armed car jacking and plane crash

Big city problems came to this year's annual Burning Man Festival in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. A plane crash, a death, an armed car jacking and 44 arrests are among the incidents officers dealt with while patrolling the Playa, the temporary city of some 70,000 people set up Aug. 25 to Sept. 3. The Pershing County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management work together to oversee law enforcement, and records from the Sheriff's office reveal 14 fewer arrests were made in 2018 than in 2017. As with year's past, the majority of arrests in 2018 were for drug possession and trafficking of drugs. Deputies also arrested people for endangerment of a child, obstruction of a public officer, unlawful trespassing on land, domestic battery and driving under the influence. "Citations are still being processed, however the arrests are accurate as of today," Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen said Thursday. "We are still attempting to break down our camp while still taking reports from a Festival that was supposed to be over on Monday." One attendee was found by law enforcement "unresponsive and not breathing" in the cab of a truck on Sept. 4. Sherman Nicholson received CPR from medical personnel but he "died at the scene unexpectedly," according to a statement from the Sheriff's Office. An autopsy was performed and the cause of death is currently under investigation. Graham says Nicholson was a staff member of a vendor. The Sheriff's Office also reports a Cessna aircraft taking off for a sightseeing tour flight was involved in a minor crash that damaged property and didn't cause any injuries. Graham says the small plane was carrying four passengers and the pilot was taken to an onsite medical facility for evaluation. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident. Police continued to respond to incidents the day after the event as attendees lingered on the Playa, and on Sept. 4 police received a 911 call from a female reporting her vehicle was stolen by a male with a knife outside the south gate of the festival exit gate...MORE