Rowdy but controlled crowds welcome 2001 in Reno, Tahoe

Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2001 | 9:29 a.m.

A stabbing and a fight-related injury marred a relatively subdued arrival of 2001 in downtown Reno, while a crowd estimated at 60,000 - three times Reno's - rang in the new year at Lake Tahoe.

"This has got to be the biggest year so far," Douglas County Sheriff Ron Pierini said at the Tahoe substation. "But the arrests are a little low. They're rowdy but not out of control."

A fistfight, the boom of illegal fireworks or a flash of bare skin revved the screams a decibel or so, but Sheriff's Sgt. Lance Modispacher, who made the crowd estimate, said there only were about 50 arrests, mostly for drunkenness.

"There's the letter of the law and there's the spirit of the law," Modispacher said. "On New Year's Eve, we go by the spirit of the law.

"We typically arrest the individuals who are so intoxicated that they can't take care of themselves, and the people who come with a bad attitude and are looking to start trouble."

A utility pole climber was sent on his way with a few words and a handshake from a deputy.

In Reno, where police estimated the crowd at 20,000, a man was hospitalized with a stab wound and another was treated for a head injury received in a fight just minutes into the new year. Both were expected to survive.

Deputy Reno Police Chief Jim Johns reported about 50 arrests at midnight, including a couple of pole climbers.

Casinos stopped serving drinks in glass containers at sundown and people police saw on the sidewalk with alcohol were asked to take the drinks inside.

"The casino was packed at five-thirty, six-o'clock," said Harrah's spokeswoman Kerri Garcia.

Jitters associated with Y2K last year were gone this New Year's Eve, Garcia said.

"There's a little more excitement, I think," she said.