| Salt Lake City |
 |
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| GER |
12 |
16 |
7 |
35 |
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| USA |
10 |
13 |
11 |
34 |
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| NOR |
11 |
7 |
6 |
24 |
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| CAN |
6 |
3 |
8 |
17 |
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| RUS |
6 |
6 |
4 |
16 |
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| AUT |
2 |
4 |
10 |
16 |
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| ITA |
4 |
4 |
4 |
12 |
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| FRA |
4 |
5 |
2 |
11 |
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| SUI |
3 |
2 |
6 |
11 |
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| NED |
3 |
5 |
0 |
8 |
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Police stop musicians' bus
Clerk thought group from California seemed suspicious
By Sharon Haddock
Deseret News staff writer
OREM — A busload of California musicians was surrounded and stopped by police in Utah County Wednesday afternoon after a convenience store clerk told authorities they seemed suspicious.
The Alma Melodioso band from Angels Camp, Calif., a musical act that will play in Park City during the Winter Olympics, had stopped in Payson about noon and, according to Utah Highway Patrol spokesman Doug McCleve, talked about terrorism. A clerk called the police after they asked about whether there were security checkpoints between Payson and Salt Lake City.
"Because we're in a heightened state of alert, we reacted, issued an all-points alert, located the bus and closed down the freeway ramp until we could investigate," McCleve said. "We have an obligation to the public to be very, very responsive right now."
The nine members of the band offered no resistance and, in fact, were very cooperative, McCleve said. They allowed police to search the bus as well as their personal belongings.
The father of one of the band members said the group was concerned before leaving California that they wouldn't be able to get through Utah without being arrested at least once or twice.
Band member Kathy Miletich said the band expected security during their trip through Utah but did not expect to be pulled over for asking a question about checkpoints.
"It was a surprise and it was funny," she said. "What wasn't so funny was that they asked us what ethnic groups were on the bus and after they searched the whole bus and found some articles about terrorism, they pulled one of our guys aside and questioned him a lot," she said.
The band was detained about 90 minutes.
The bus is a renovated school bus partly painted white with windows covered in aluminum foil, McCleve said.
"Alma Melodioso" is headed for Park City to play at the Winter Olympics Plaza. The band specializes in Latin jazz, Afro Cuban and world beat flamenco.
McCleve said the store employee did the right thing in calling police. "If people have concerns, we want them to call us," he said.
E-mail: haddoc@desnews.com
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February 14, 2002
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