The home of the president of the Granby school board – Vagabond Ranch – was the place to go for high school graduation and apparently to drink booze, according to the Granby sheriff.
Mark Bujanovich, who also sits on the board of trustees for the town of Granby, was served a summons Aug. 6 on six misdemeanor counts of providing alcohol to minors, Granby County Sheriff Rod Johnson said Thursday.
Dozens of graduating seniors from Middle Park High School – including Bujanovich’s son – attended the party June 2 on the 50- to 60-acre ranch that Bujanovich manages for a family that lives out of state, he said.
Students were drinking alcohol at the party and one student broke his leg doing a back flip over a fire, Johnson said.
“We don’t have any evidence that (Bujanovich) purchased alcohol,” he said.
Bujanovich, who had his first court appearance on the charges Monday, could not be reached for comment.
East Grand School District Superintendent Rob Rankin said Thursday that Bujanovich took precautions to prevent accidents. He wouldn’t let any seniors enter the ranch after 11 p.m. and required them to stay through the night. Rankin said Bujanovich didn’t want students driving 25 miles home on winding roads in the middle of the night.
“It was indeed a controlled environment,” Rankin said. “Unfortunately, some kids chose to bring some beer. It had been a full day for (Bujanovich). He went to bed around midnight.”
Bujanovich told Rankin he didn’t see any students drinking. Some residents are saying Bujanovich should have stayed up all night and supervised the party, Rankin said.
“No charges were leveled against any of the students,” Rankin said.
Most residents support Bujanovich, who has been influential in numerous community activities and projects including building a new indoor soccer facility, Rankin said.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
