An Aspen father who wrote an anonymous letter to police, concerned about a local drug dealer that he believed sold drugs to his 17-year-old daughter, has helped lead Aspen police to one of the city's largest drug busts.
Aspen Daily News reports that Thomas Simmons, 22, was arrested on Saturday during a concert at Aspen music venue Belly Up and charged with five felonies including tampering with evidence and possession of more than 4 grams of a controlled substance -- three of the four felony counts come with a mandatory four to 20 years in prison because they are considered extremely high risk crimes.
Nearly 166 grams of ecstasy were found at Simmons house, according to CBS4, as well as 4.6 ounces of MDMA, and 1.6 ounces of cocaine hidden in ceiling tiles near a bedroom, Aspen Daily News reports.
The district attorney's office is calling it a "historic bust," and it all started with an anonymous letter from a concerned father, CBS4 reports.
"I am an anonymous concerned father who is writing to warn you of a drug dealer living in Aspen," the letter stated, naming Simmons and providing detailed information about the alleged drug dealer, according to 7News.
The letter was delivered to Aspen police on Nov. 29 and just a little more than two months later, the police made an arrest. "We just thought this was a great example of how community members can take policing into their hands," Bill Weyer with the Aspen police told CBS4.