High gas price

In a climate of terror and fear there's a temptation to create rafts of legislation and prosecute every transgression to the letter of the law. There might just be an opportunity for the forces of law and order to step back and consider a case on its merits. A man from Sheridan is facing explosives charges after he accidentally blew up his own car with a gas-filled balloon he was taking to a Super Bowl party.

The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office found a suspicious-looking car behind a gas station. When a deputy arrived to check it out, he found a white car that showed obvious signs of an explosion. All the windows were blown out, the vehicle doors were bent towards the outside and the roof was pushed about a foot higher than normal.

The deputy traced the license plate to a home where a man and a woman admitted that they were in the car. They explained that they were taking a balloon filled with acetylene to a Super Bowl party so they could blow up the balloon while celebrating.

However, on the drive, the balloon rolled across the back seat, possibly causing static electricity, and igniting the gas, causing it to explode.

Norman Frey, 46, faces a charge of possession, use, or removal of explosives or incendiary devices. He faces two to six years in prison.

A little over the top perhaps? Norman's been left with slight shrapnel wounds, perforated eardrums, a comedy car that probably won't achieve book value if he trys to sell it and a reputation throughout Denver as one of the states leading morons. I'm not sure six years in the big house is gonna help anybody.

Denver lawmakers may learn a lesson from the good folk of Michigan when it comes to prosecuting car-based idiocy. Sometimes the crime is it's own punishment.