"Obstructing Government Operations," Oh dear, oh dear.

A rafting guide lost a 13-year-old girl when his raft flipped in white water. He couldn't find her at first, finally did locate her after the Trained Professionals had arrived to save the day, jumped in and pulled the girl to safety as was his responsibility.

Of course he was promptly arrested. How exactly he 'obstructed government operations,' I'm not sure. The government "rescuers" were still perfectly free to inventory and set up their expensive gear and go through the motions of their by-the-book "rescue." Snodgrass didn't "obstruct" them in any way. He just made them look bad, which I suspect is the real crime here. But what delighted me about the story was his boss's completely repentant attitude. Not:

"To jump into water and navigate a river in a swiftwater rescue is common. You get into the river and swim. You have to do it," Branford said. "The fact these guys don't understand that is disturbing. Making contact immediately with your victim is essential. It's not about who is in charge. It's about the safety of a 13-year-old girl. You are going to do everything in your power to insure the safety of your guest, and if that means in Idaho Springs you get arrested, well I guess we'll just get arrested."

I wish I had a "freedom outlaw of the week" award at TUAK, but I can't find one such story per week. Still, Huzzah!