Olympic snowboarders arrested on marijuana charges

Tuesday, March 3, 1998 | 9:27 a.m.

Michael Kildevaeld, a member of Denmark's snowboarding team, and Canadian Brett Tippie were arrested Saturday after a sheriff's deputy stopped their car for speeding on U.S. 395 near Topaz Lake.

American snowboarder Anton David Pogue, of Hood River, Ore., was asleep in the vehicle at the time it was stopped. He was released.

Deputies said they smelled marijuana smoke while speaking to Kildevaeld, who was driving. A drug sniffing dog found about two grams of what was believed to be marijuana and a pipe inside the car.

Sheriff's Sgt. Lance Modispacher said Kildevaeld, 31, admitted the alleged marijuana belonged to him.

Kildevaeld has been charged with felony marijuana possession and misdemeanor charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and driving under the influence. His bail was set at $7,000.

Tippie, 29, was charged with being under the influence of marijuana. His bail was set at $5,000.

A preliminary hearing in Douglas County Justice Court was scheduled Wednesday.

Modispacher said the three were traveling from a snowboarding event at Kirkwood Ski Resort to Big Bear Ski Resort in Southern California.

The arrests mark the second marijuana-related controversy in the sport of snowboarding.

Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati was temporarily stripped of his gold medal at Nagano, Japan, when a drug test revealed traces of marijuana in his system.

An appeals panel reinstated his gold medal. Rebagliati claimed the traces of pot came from inhaling second-hand smoke at a party.