Sometimes it pays to be a celebrity in trouble in a small town: Olympic slopestyle skiing bronze-medalist Nick Goepper was charged in a Dearborn Co., Ind., Superior Court Friday with criminal mischief after he confessed to causing $8,000 worth of damage to vehicles in a private residential community. Aaron Negangard, the prosecuting attorney on the case, said in a statement that the Dearborn County Sheriffs Department had no suspects at the time Goepper, 20, came forward and admitted to the crime. He said he threw rocks at cars because he was having an anxiety attack caused by his depression. The fact that he came forward speaks to the tremendous character of Nick Goepper and his family, the prosecutor said in a statement. We hope that Nick is able to put this behind him and continues to have great success. Goeppers attorney advised him not to speak to the prosecutor nor to admit his guilt. Goepper has since apologized and paid all restitution to the victims for the damage he caused, totaling $8,243.76, and has entered into a diversion agreement with the prosecutors office, which will dismiss the charge if Goepper can stay out of trouble for one year. US Ski and Snowboard Association issued this statement: Appropriate conduct is a responsibility of all USSA athletes and something we take seriously as an organization. We have worked closely with Nick and his family to provide him support and also to educate him on the impact his actions have on his sport, his organization and himself. We respect the fact that Nick accepted responsibility for his actions on his own, sought personal support and has apologized to those affected. indystar/story/news/crime/2014/12/19/olympian-nick-goepper-charged-with-criminal-mischief/20656257/
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 00:33:40 +0000