The man arrested for scalping 60 tickets to the Rockies play-off series against the Arizona Diamondbacks said today he has reached an agreement with the Rockies and Denver Police to donate them to charity.
Charles Whitlock said in a statement that the tickets were re-issued so he could donate them to the nonprofit Boys & Girls’ Clubs of Metro Denver.
Whitlock, 23, was sitting on a bench outside the stadium Wednesday with the tickets tucked beneath a newspaper. Police say he sold two of them to a pair of undercover cops. He asked $300 each for the two $100 tickets.
Today Whitlock apologized for his actions.
“Being unemployed, I was looking for a way to quickly pay my bills,” he said in a statement. “However, I used poor judgment and I was wrong.”
Whitlock’s statement:
My name is Charles Whitlock and I am a recent college graduate living in Denver. Originally from Michigan, I went to school in the area and fell in love with the city that I am hoping to make my home.
On Wednesday, October 10, I was arrested by the Denver Police Department for attempting to scalp tickets for the upcoming National League Championship playoff games featuring the Colorado Rockies versus the Arizona DiamondBacks.
I recently purchased 60 tickets at the Coors Field Box Office and online for the three games scheduled in Denver, October 14, 15 and 17. Including service fees, the 60 tickets cost me $5,280.
I was arrested after attempting to sell two of the tickets. Being unemployed, I was looking for a way to quickly pay my bills. However, I used poor judgment and I was wrong.
I want to apologize to Rockies fans and baseball enthusiasts everywhere for my unlawful behavior. I have disappointed my family and friends who know me as a forthright and outgoing individual who works hard and will take responsibility for his actions. These actions are out of character for me. Moreover, I am embarrassed of my error in judgment.
In the spirit of trying to make amends for my actions, the Denver Police Department and the Colorado Rockies Baseball Club have agreed to reissue my confiscated tickets so that I may donate them to the nonprofit Boys & Girls’ Clubs of Metro Denver.
I have asked the Boys & Girls Clubs to distribute the tickets to deserving kids and their families across the city.
I’d like to serve as a reminder to the community that it is always best to do the right thing and remember that baseball games are one of America’s greatest pastimes and should be enjoyed by all.
I hope that my actions in attempting to turn a wrong into a right can speak louder than anything else I could say. I ask that the media please respect my wishes to stand by this statement and decline further comment at this time.
