By Carbon County Sheriff Jeff Wood
I would like to make the public aware of a situation that occurred on graduation night.
Local law enforcement was called to a noise disturbance involving a graduation party located in a prominent neighborhood located south of Price. Law enforcement responded and discovered that there was an estimated 80 juveniles present at a residence and an obvious party was taking place.
As law enforcement approached the residence to investigate the complaint, people starting running from the residence. Numerous law enforcement officers arrived and contained the scene and discovered that a large amount of alcohol and illegal drugs were present with children ranging in age from 15 to 20 years old. Medical personnel were called to the scene to assist with juveniles that had obviously consumed too much alcohol and their health was at risk, one of the party goers had to be transported by ambulance to the hospital.
The homeowner had agreed to a small gathering, no more than 20 people to sit around the fire pit at the home and celebrate graduation without any alcohol allowed. The owner was not at home when the party started, but had planned to arrive around midnight once he got off from work. None of the party goers were relatives to the home owner. He did have an adult sibling whom was present upon the arrival of law enforcement and claimed to have been trying to shut the party down once he realized what was taking place.
The homeowner was extremely upset to find his home in total disarray with vomit on the floors, broken furniture, people hiding in the closets, under beds and in the attic. It should be known that the owner of the home was actually locked out of his own home upon his arrival and was going to allow law enforcement to enter by force prior to finding an open door in the garage to allow entry.
All juveniles were identified and tested to see if they had been consuming alcohol or illegal drugs, the ones that had not consumed alcohol or drugs were allowed to leave, the ones that had were issued citations or referred to juvenile court. The adult that was present was also cited for contributing to this situation. Several juveniles were found hiding inside the home, in the yard and in the nearby field. Parents were called to pick up their children and law enforcement stood by for most of the night to be sure no intoxicated juveniles returned to pick up their vehicles.
It is disappointing to say the least that this type of party could ever be thought to be appropriate on any level. I have heard that law enforcement chased these kids from a controlled environment into the streets to be charged with criminal conduct. This was far from a controlled environment and no one was chased out of the house; they exited and ran upon the arrival of the law enforcement, I believe knowing they were in trouble.
I want to remind the juveniles involved in this incident that this type of behavior is illegal and comes with consequences that can last a lifetime. It is not something to be taken lightly and it is not responsible behavior. Graduation is not a free pass to run wild and ignore the rules of society. I want everyone to understand that local law enforcement will uphold the law and will not tolerate underage consumption of alcohol. This was not just a small gathering and these were not just kids being kids. All too often this type of event comes with medical calls, sexual assaults, fights or accidents that can be avoided.
I expect a more sensible and responsible approach to our youth blowing off steam for graduation and think this is a good discussion to have with your teenage children.