Getting away with childhood high jinks and teenage mischief has become increasingly difficult with the proliferation of motion detectors and security cameras.
Just ask six teens who broke into Durango Hot Springs Resort & Spa to enjoy a free soak.
Co-owner Bryan Yearout said he and his partners, Dan Carter and Kurt Carter, were notified about 1:30 a.m. Aug. 1 of motion on the grounds of the hot springs. When they checked their cellphones to see what was happening, a livestream video showed six teenagers inside the closed facilities, Yearout said. Alcohol consumption also appeared to be part of the activities, he said.
The owners notified the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office of the break-in.
When deputies arrived, the juveniles scattered, said Sgt. Chris Burke, spokesman for the agency. Deputies were able to catch two of the boys, ages 15 and 16, but the others got away, he said.
“The owner didn’t want anybody hurt going in after hours intoxicated,” Burke said.
The boys were released to their parents, and the Sheriff’s Office did a direct filing with the District Attorney’s Office, meaning the Sheriff’s Office is pursuing criminal trespassing charges, not the owners of the hot springs, Burke said.
Yearout said it is important for people to know the dangers of being inside the hot springs after hours, especially when drinking.
He said it is dark, there is a heightened potential for slipping and falling, and no one is around to rescue someone should a mishap occur.
He recalled an incident in December 2007 when seven people snuck into what was then called Trimble Hot Springs. An 18-year-old Fort Lewis College student tried to swim the length of the lap pool underneath a tarp. He apparently became disorientated and couldn’t make it to the side of the pool. He drowned under the tarp, according to news reports at the time.
Yearout said he hears from guests all the time who say they used to break-in as kids to soak in the hot springs. In fact, one of the deputies who responded to the break-in earlier this month said he attended FLC with the student who drowned in 2007, he said.
“We thought it would be really good ... for people to know this is a continuing problem,” Yearout said.
But one thing has changed: The hot springs now have motion detectors and 30 high-definition cameras placed around the facility. When a motion detector is activated, it notifies the owners, who can then check the livestream cameras and decide whether to notify law enforcement.
“You’re likely to get caught,” Yearout said.
But more than that, the cameras can help with public safety, reduce insurance costs and help resolve disputed incidents.
“If somebody were to come in and have a trip and fall and drown in a pool, the public would be all over us for how did we allow this to happen,” Yearout said. “We’re doing our best, and we’re doing everything we can to keep it from happening.
“The public message is there on two sides: One, chances are you’re going to get caught, and two, there is potential for severe injury or worse when being in the property at nighttime when things are so dark and people aren’t able to see the risks,” he said.
shane@durangoherald.com
