High school riders drummed out of rodeo finals

Bronc and bull riders at recent state high school rodeo finals in Clovis got bucked out of the Curry County Events Center and landed in court in a dispute over beer and marijuana.

On June 15, District Judge Stephen Quinn granted a permanent injunction sought by Alamogordo High School rodeo star Lon Danley, 18, clearing his way to compete in state finals and move on to national championships in bull and saddle bronc riding.

Danley was barred from competing in state finals early into the competition in Clovis June 14-16 after being accused of violating New Mexico High School Rodeo Association rules about alcohol and drugs.

Danley's attorney, Tye Harmon of Clovis, said the state rodeo association has agreed not to appeal Quinn's decision or interfere with Danley's run at national championships July 15-21 in Rock Springs, Wyo.

Harmon said Danley was a victim of circumstance and not allowing Danley to compete would have jeopardized his client's full-ride scholarship to Vernon College in Vernon, Texas.

According to court records:

• Danley was a passenger in a pickup truck Curry County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Brockett stopped about 1 a.m. June 14 — the morning of the start of competition — at the entrance to the events center.
• Brockett discovered four unopened beer cans and "a small amount of marijuana on the driver's seat."
• Brockett didn't arrest or cite any of the four, but made them pour out the beer and inform their parents via cell phones of what he had found. (The court records don't mention what happened to the marijuana, which Brockett specified as less than an ounce.)
• Danley was riding in the back seat of the truck with a girl, who was also competing at the rodeo. Danley said he didn't realize there was alcohol in the truck until just before the group arrived at the events center. He denied drinking beer or using marijuana.
• Danley said there was no alcohol in the truck when he left the events center earlier that evening with the girl and two other male rodeo competitors, who stopped at a house in Clovis.
• Danley said the two males went inside the house while he and the girl sat in the back seat kissing, talking and listening to music.
• Danley said he knew one of the two males placed a package in the truck when they returned. Danley said he didn't notice it was beer because "there was someone laying on top of me ..."
• Danley also said he didn't realize the other two had beer until just before the group was flagged by Brockett, when they offered him a drink and he refused.

After being detained by Brockett, Danley asked the deputy to perform a breath test for alcohol to prove his innocence.

• Brockett declined, noting he couldn't perform such a test because Danley wasn't under arrest.
• About four and a half hours later, Danley paid a private company to perform an alcohol test and results determined there was zero alcohol in his body.

But hours later, the rodeo association board made up largely of parents of competitors voted 8-4 to bar all four teens from competing based on its Rule 6 Section A.

The rule states contestants will be disqualified for "having any association with alcoholic beverages, narcotic or other non-medicinal drugs while in attendance at any approved High School Rodeo, whether at a motel, or on rodeo grounds or going to or from the rodeo or at any rodeo function."

In his ruling granting Danley the right to compete, Quinn said voting to disqualify the four "should not have been a 'lump sum' vote, as the level of culpability differed between the four ..."

Quinn also noted the rodeo association's "application of the rule ... was harsh, too broad and stretched the intent of the rule."

NMHSRA Vice President Lance Howe disagreed and said the board voted to uphold a rule that is the same as the national association's rule.

"I felt like the judge let the kids get away with something that they didn't have any business getting away with," said Howe.

"When we made our decision ... we were trying to do the best for the best interests of the association," Howe said.

Harmon said after Quinn granted the injunction, the NMHSRA took another vote and reinstated the girl who was with Danley in the back seat while reaffirming the ban against the two males who admitted drinking beer and possessing the marijuana.