MONROE, CT — A 51-year-old father turned himself in on a warrant on June 11 charging him with allowing a party with underage drinking at his Laurel Drive home.
On May 25, officers were called to the house in response to a complaint of underage drinking just after 10 p.m. They heard music from the street and noticed several youths holding red Solo cups outside and inside the residence, according to the report.
Through the window, police said officers could see alcohol bottles all over the house.
There were around 30 juveniles at the home in total, police said. According to the investigation, no one present was age 21 or older. The juvenile who lived there told officers the father was not home at the time.
While officers were at the scene the father came home and police determined he knew the teenagers were drinking and had condoned it.
Monroe Emergency Medical Service personnel were called to the home to treat at least one minor and the others were reunited with their parents, police said.
The father was charged with 11 counts of risk of injury to a child, one count of allowing a minor to possess alcohol in a dwelling and one count of delivering alcohol to minors. He was released on $5,000 bond for a June 21 court date.
Police remind parents there are serious consequences for violating social hosting laws.
Among the risks of hosting such a party is teenagers becoming sick with alcohol poisoning and motor vehicle crashes when they drive home, causing serious injuries or even death.
One of the most tragic outcomes was the stabbing death of James McGrath, a Fairfield Prep student, after a fight broke out at a house party in Shelton.
His parents recently filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the owners of the property on Laurel Glen Drive, where the lawsuit says “substantial quantities of alcohol were served to, and consumed by, individuals under 21 years old.”
The Sun’s Policy on Using Names in Police Reports
Before the internet, newspapers routinely published names in the police blotter. The arrestees would be embarrassed for a few days, before most people forgot about it. They served their penalty and could move on with their lives. The issue with the article was archived in a library and could become an issue again if someone researched it.
Since the internet, the arrestees’ names can be searched online and the article will always come up. Even if the arrest was long ago and they are leading better, more productive lives, the report always looms over them.
Because of this, The Sun only uses names of people in police reports for some of the more serious crimes and incidents: murder, brutal beatings, robberies, burglaries, car thefts, thefts of thousands of dollars or more, sexual assault, pedophilia and fatal crashes.
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