Ozzy Osbourne [ tickets ] is steaming mad over a North Dakota sheriff's use of the rocker's name to lure fans to a pre-concert "party" where they were later arrested on outstanding warrants.

Sheriff Paul D. Laney of the Fargo, ND, sheriff's department set up a sting operation Monday (10/29) before Osbourne's scheduled show with Rob Zombie [ tickets ], sending out invites to a group of warrant violators that promised a pre-show bash and perks including a pair of free tickets to the concert--the same offers included in Osbourne's official VIP packages.

The sting rounded up approximately 40 people, most of them arrested for ignoring court summons or failing to pay child support or various fines, according to Laney. The event, sponsored by the bogus PDL Productions--Laney's initials--followed the format of similar operations conducted by other police agencies in the past, inviting suspects to a gathering spot under the guise of a party, then arresting them. "It was more of a warrant party," Laney told The Forum, a Fargo newspaper.

The use of his name in the sting didn't sit with Osbourne. "Instead of holding a press conference to pat himself on the back," the singer said in a press statement, "Sheriff Laney should be apologizing to me for using my name in connection with these arrests. It's insulting to me and to my audience and it shows how lazy this particular sheriff is when it comes to doing his job.

"Sheriff Laney went out of his way to tarnish my reputation by implying that I somehow attract a criminal element, which is certainly not true," added Osbourne. "My audiences are good hard-working people who have been hugely supportive of my music for nearly four decades.

"It's obvious to me that this sheriff has an agenda and is just trying to make a name for himself on my back."

Osbourne, whose tour with Zombie continues tonight (11/2) in Des Moines, IA, and runs through late January, added in the release that he bears no ill will to the people of Fargo and hopes to return under "more favorable circumstances."