BEAVER CREEK – A man was arrested by Secret Service agents when he tried to approach Vice President Dick Cheney in Beaver Creek Village yesterday afternoon, said Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren.

Cheney was walking outside when the agents charged with protecting him noticed the man, identified as Steven Howards, who “wasn’t acting like the other folks in the area,” Zahren said.

“His behavior and demeanor wasn’t quite right,” Zahren said. “The agents tried to question him, and he was argumentative and combative”

Authorities did not describe Howards’ behavior in any further detail.

While Howards was released later in the evening, officials are reviewing possible federal charges. His age and hometown were not listed. There was no phone number listed for him in the local phone book.

Cheney is attending the AEI World Forum conference in the Vail Valley, an unofficial summit, created and hosted by former president Gerald R. Ford. Former world leaders, current government officials, scholars and business leaders from around the world are invited to discuss important global issues, organizers say.


Staff Writer Nicole Frey can be reached at 748-2927 or nfrey@vaildaily.com.

Vail, Colorado