When police broke up a party with teenagers drinking alcohol, they charged the teenage host with allowing the drinking and charged a partygoer after he initially refused to open the door to the closet he was hiding in, police said.
New Canaan police gave this account of what happened, including accusations not proven in court:
Police officers were dispatched to the area of Soundview Lane and Laurel Road, Thursday night, Aug. 3, where officers determined that the party was occurring at 538 Laurel Road, according to the police report.
An 18-year-old man was hiding in a closet on the second floor of the home and refused to open the closet door at the request of investigating officers. He was charged with interfering with an officer.
The man was taken into custody and released on a promise to appear in court. He was issued a court date of Aug. 17.
A 19-year-old resident of the home where the party occurred was charged with permitting minors to possess alcohol and possession of alcohol by a minor.
He was issued a misdemeanor summons at the scene for his charges and given a court date of Aug. 16.
Why are the names and mug shots not in this article? They are not minors, shouldn’t all stories be reported on equally? Recent arrests of this nature have contained names, mug shots, etc.
It’s my understanding that NewCanaanite.com does not publish names when people are charged in these kinds of cases. Perhaps you have us confused with other news organizations in town. — David Gurliacci, acting editor
God forbid a bunch of kids were having safe, responsible fun! The more you shame these kids the more you encourage them to drink and do drugs unsafely. Why don’t you start knitting or collecting stamps or something because writing these libelous articles isn’t a legit hobby…it’s just sad. By writing this article, you have exposed children and families, children and families who’s jobs and reputations are now jeopardized. You haven’t uncovered some breaking or even remotely interesting news here, all you’ve done is proven how bored you are.
Chill out. NCite is the only news outlet who doesn’t post the names of these offenders. You should troll on the Advocate who not only posted the names but also the muggies of these kids, which unfortunately are there on the Internet forever. Kudos to NewCanaanite for being the only responsible news site to evolve with technology and the times.
These “kids” are adults in the eyes of the law. They have achieved the Age of Majority and it is insane that they can’t drink beer at a friend’s house.
18 year olds serve in our military and put their lives on the line for our country. By law every 18 year old male must register with the Selective Service and make themselves available to be drafted during wartime.
18 year olds can vote! Perhaps the U.S.’s greatest achievements and responsibilities is that out citizens are entrusted with the ability to elect our repesentatives.
Having wine with dinner, beer at a Yankees game, champagne on New Year’s or even shots of Fireball at a friend’s barbecue should unquestionably be permitted to citizens above 18.
Before or upon reaching 18 years old, U.S. citizens can give sexual consent, have an abortion, get married, enter into legal contracts, go to federal prison, receive the death penalty, and countless other acts that would presumably involve maturity.
Being criminalized for drinking alcohol when you are an adult in all manners of society is insane.
Great job New Canaan Police! Anonymous tips by others that weren’t invited to a party are a great way to fight crime in town. Finding a kid hiding in a closet involved diligent detective work.
To stop this nonsense Instagram postings need to stop, do not tweet party updates on Twitter, and keep your gatherings amongst friends. New Canaan Police are going to search your property high and low for miscreants in the community. This will only stop when homeowners and rsidents learn about their right to privacy and unlawful searches.
I couldn’t agree more with Paul and Lou. It is a complete witch hunt for teenagers today. Our most dreaded fear in high school was that if we got caught with beer the police would take our beer. That a 19 year old can’t have a beer in his own house but can vote, fight for his/her country is really terrible. That a parent can’t host a small party for graduating seniors in high school (18 year olds) – closed and small and with other parental consent without getting arrested is also incredible to me.
In Massachusetts when they made pot a misdemeanor charge a few years ago, teenagers realized they would get in less trouble with pot than they did with beer, so guess what – many teens turned to this. In Europe, teens as young as 15/16 can drink and they don’t seem to have this epidemic of binge drinking that we have in the states.
Maybe teaching our teenagers that its okay to drink in moderation and showing them what this means is the answer. I’m pretty sure abstinence is not the answer. I am also pretty sure I don’t want any of my kids going off to college with zero experience drinking….
Annie I agree with you. While the other posts may feel passionately about the age disparity between drinking / voting / serving, law is the law. Just because you don’t like it doesn’t put you above it.
The New Canaan Police is not to blame here, it is the young adults breaking the law.
To those feeling that a warrant was needed here, there are certain exceptions to the search and seizure rule called probable cause and plain view. The officers were also called to the house which allows for them to enter as there might be the danger of a minor or young adult in need of help. If a person was in danger, getting a warrant signed would probably allow for the person to die
Those inside the house were asked if anybody was around and the young adult chose to hide which is his fault.
Being 18 and serving in the military or voting has no correlation. These were laws made by federal or local government. New Canaan Police only enforce the laws, not create them too