Seven carnival workers were either arrested or cited for misdemeanor drug crimes during last week’s Park County Fair, representing an apparent uptick from prior years.

“It was a busy week for police,” said Powell Police Chief Roy Eckerdt.

However, despite an “obviously concerning” number of drug offenses, “from the perspective of fights, larcenies or violent crime, it was a quiet week,” Eckerdt said.

Other than a couple minor arguments that did not get physical — and one incident where an apparently drunk local man ripped off his shirt — police were called to few disturbances during the July 24-30 fair.

“I would say in general, the residents of Park County and the Big Horn Basin showed up, had a good time and got along well,” Eckerdt said.

Both he and Park County Sheriff Scott Steward wondered if there were fewer people at the 2016 fair.

“It looked like attendance, to me, was probably down this year,” Steward told county commissioners on this week. “Pretty quiet.”

Beyond the shirtless man, there were two other local men arrested on or near the grounds during fair week: one for driving while under the influence and possessing a controlled substance and another caught on an outstanding Cody municipal court warrant.

The largest number of citations and arrests involved carnival workers and came on Friday night.

Things began when 25-year-old Mark Brazil of Studio City, California, was allegedly caught with a container with apparent heroin residue in his pocket and with a vial of methamphetamine and a container with marijuana residue in his glove box. Brazil told police the items in the vehicle had been put there by someone else. He pleaded not guilty to three misdemeanor counts of possession at a Monday appearance in Circuit Court.

A passenger in Brazil’s vehicle, a 31-year-old man from Murrieta, California, was cited for possession after reportedly admitting the container with the marijuana residue was his.

Hours later, three more carnival workers were arrested and two others cited after police smelled marijuana outside their trailers.

Charging documents say police found a small scale with apparent heroin and meth residue that Douglas Skeen — a 26-year-old Bremerton, Washington, resident — admitted to having previously used for selling drugs.

Skeen was arrested on two counts of possession of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor count of interference with a peace officer for initially giving police a fake name.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Marilyn Rebman of Tacoma, Washington, admitted to owning a small bowl with apparent heroin residue. She was arrested for possession and interference after she, too, gave a fake identity.

Both Skeen and Rebman pleaded guilty to their misdemeanor charges on Monday; Skeen received fines and a 90-day jail sentence, while Rebman received fines and 60 days in jail.

A 23-year-old carnival worker from Silverdale, Washington, was also arrested for possession after police found a syringe and naloxone in his backpack. However, that charge was dismissed on Monday. Although the 23-year-old had reportedly admitted to using meth early Friday morning, he had told police he knew nothing about the naloxone.

Eckerdt said two other carnival workers were cited in that same Friday night search for what he believed was marijuana possession.

The chief said the majority of the problems were not with employees of Carnival Midway Attractions, but with a second company that they hired on to bring more rides and entertainment.

Eckerdt said Carnival Midway Attractions has come to the fair for several years and seems “to run a pretty tight ship.”

Further, he added, “the management of both carnivals were very, very cooperative with law enforcement and willing to help and do anything they could to help take care of the situation.”

Eckerdt also noted that visitors were not the only ones to get in trouble for drugs last week: four local residents were arrested or cited for drug offenses away from the fairgrounds.

“We were making drug arrests before they (the carnival) got here and we made them after they left,” he said.

Over the course of the entire week, police dealt with 40 incidents significant enough to become cases — roughly double what the department has averaged so far this year, Eckerdt said.

He also said officers received many positive comments from the community as they worked around the grounds — “and that means a lot, especially in this day and age.”