Charges dropped against high school band director

Tuesday, Nov. 3, 1998 | 9:21 a.m.

Douglas County Sheriff Ron Pierini said Monday he will seek to dismiss a citation for disturbing the peace filed against Bill Zabelsky, the band director at Douglas High School.

Zabelsky was cited at 6:30 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 24, after sleeping residents in a nearby subdivision complained about the pre-dawn rehearsal.

One of the neighbors unimpressed by the early morning tune-up was Rick Brown, a county sheriff's investigator who wrote out the ticket.

Zabelsky said he intended to plead innocent later this month to the charge that carries a fine of up to $165.

But Pierini and District Attorney Scott Doyle met Monday and decided to dismiss the charge after School Superintendent Pendry Clark agreed there would be no more outdoor rehearsals before 7 a.m.

"Even then, area residents will be notified in advance. This may occur once or twice a year," the Douglas County Sheriff's office said in a statement Monday.

The statement said that Brown agreed the charges should be dropped as long as the problem was remedied.

"Criminal prosecution is only pursued in early morning disturbance cases when there are aggravating circumstances that cannot be handled without criminal charges," the sheriff's office said.