ASPEN, CO. (THECOUNT) — Joseph Lipsey III, his wife, Shira Lipsey and their son, 19-year-old Joseph Lipsey IV, have all been arrested and are facing multiple drug-related charges in Aspen, Colorado, after authorities there say the trio distributed alcohol, cocaine and other drugs to minors at multiple parties in recent years.
Joe Lipsey, CEO of Lipsey Logistics Worldwide, LLC, on Brainerd Road, in Chattanooga, TN, was taken into custody on charges related to the alleged incidents, records show. He was arrested Tuesday and released after posting $100,000 bond, according to the TimesFreePress.
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The father is charged with distribution of cocaine to a minor, the highest level drug felony available under Colorado law that comes with a mandatory prison sentence of between eight and 32 years upon conviction. He also faces three counts of felony contributing to the delinquency of a minor, three counts of serving alcohol to minors, possession of drug paraphernalia and providing nicotine to minors.
His wife, 44-year-old Shira, and son, Joseph Lipsey IV, were arrested Monday by the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office and the Aspen Police Department.
The son is facing seven charges, including three felonies. And Shira Lipsey faces three charges, including two felonies. Both were transported to the Pitkin County Jail. Their bond was set at $100,000 each.
Between Jan. 3 and March 4, authorities interviewed several people — adults and juveniles — known to have either been at the alleged parties or had direct knowledge of the parties. The main party in question was one alleged to have happened on the night of Jan. 2, during which the Lipseys were passing a plate of cocaine around “like they were passing around vitamins,” court records show. Police say about 25 high school students gathered at the Lipsey home in Aspen that night and were allowed to drink alcohol, including vodka and champagne, and do cocaine in the presence of both Lipsey parents. Several minors and some 18- and 19-year-olds were interviewed by police and said they were at the party. But police say the most telling evidence includes a series of Snapchat videos taken by one of the minors that Jan. 2 night and into the early morning hours of Jan. 3.
In SnapChat video, the reports says, Shira Lipsey is seen sitting on a couch next to two unknown men, court records detail. On the table in front of them is a yellow plate with “pile of an unknown white powder.” The pile is about an inch in diameter, investigators noted. Also on the plate are two “‘lines’ arranged in a fashion typical of cocaine consumption” and a credit card. A rolled up dollar bill and two green straws are also on the table.
A second video taken just a minute later shows the same scene, the report states, only this time with the younger Joseph Lipsey, his mother and an unknown man. The child who took the video wrote, “This kid’s parents are tryna kill me” before sending it to friends.
Then, a third video shows only the plate with the white powder, the credit card and a straw. Before sending that video, the child wrote, “Almost did it all.”
Several of those interviewed said they had been to the house multiple times for parties, and on each occasion, the Lipseys knowingly let children and young adults — younger than 21 — consume alcohol and illegal drugs, including cocaine, codeine, Adderall and other ADHD medications, Xanax and other muscle relaxants, and prescription painkillers.
The family members are expected to be in court on April 1, the Aspen Daily News reports.
Geo quick facts: Chattanooga, a city in southeastern Tennessee, is set along the Tennessee River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Its trolleylike Incline Railway scales steep Lookout Mountain before reaching Ruby Falls waterfall and Rock City, featuring sweeping views, sandstone formations and gardens. Point Park, also atop Lookout, marks the site of a Civil War battle now honored at the Battles for Chattanooga Museum – wikipedia.