CATAWBA - Three people were arrested Saturday night on charges linked to a series of brawls that broke out during the Christmas in July event at Put-in-Bay.
Catawba Island Police Chief John Gangway said fights began on South Bass Island and spilled over to the Miller Ferry Saturday as it was carrying passengers back from the weekend event.
Glenn Miller, 25, of Detroit, was charged with misdemeanor assault.
Jasmine Shanay-Sade Little, 32, of Trenton, Michigan, was charged with persistent disorderly conduct.
Rahim Duncan, 24, of Bedford, Ohio, was charged with obstructing justice and persistent disorderly conduct.
The chief said it is not clear how the brawls started, but he said between 3,000 and 4,000 people flooded the Catawba Island docks of the Miller ferry by 8:45 p.m., when more scuffles broke out.
"One story was that it was a fight about a cell phone," Gangway said. "When you're dealing with that many people and only five cops, you deal with what you can."
"We have about five officers there and had to call for backup from the (Ottawa County) Sheriff's Office and state patrol," Gangway said. "There were no injured officers and only one woman reported injuries, but she refused EMS."
The Christmas in July event has become a popular destination over the years for Cleveland and Michigan tourists, Gangway said.
"The difference from last year is that the numbers of buses was more sporadic," Gangway said. "This year it seemed like all the buses got there at the same time."
Gangway said there were around 40 buses near the Miller Ferry dock in Catawba that created traffic and crowd control issues.
"About 99 percent of the people are fine, or just confused about what bus they need to get on," he said about the tourists. "We try to put extra officers out there, but I think we will get together with the sheriff's office, the event organizers and the Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce to see if we can get better organized."
cshoup@gannett.com
