Police on Monday night arrested a 16-year-old New Canaan resident after confronting the teen at an underage drinking party at a home in the area of Oenoke Ridge and West Roads.
The teen was charged with delivery of alcohol to a minor, allowing a minor to possess alcohol and failure to halt possession of alcohol by a minor.
At about 9:21 p.m. on July 17, officers received an anonymous tip regarding a youth party with alcohol at the residence, according to a police report.
Arriving, officer saw about 20 to 30 juveniles on the back patio of the home, most of them holding cans of Bud Light or Coors Light, the report said.
The kids scattered when police arrived, it said.
Inside the house, officers found 30 empty beer cans and empty boxes of both Bud Light and Coors Light, police said.
They spoke to juvenile at the party who claimed that he or she—police withheld the youth’s name, gender and other identifying information because of the individual’s age—had supplied “some of the alcohol but did not know where the rest came from,” according to the report.
“The juvenile stated that it was only intended to be a gathering of a few friends, but that other juveniles began showing up uninvited,” the report said.
Other juveniles at the party who are facing a charge of possession of alcohol by a minor will be invited to participate in the department’s “diversionary program.” Under it, the kids and their parents agree to attend educational classes by addiction experts and others, in exchange for getting out from under criminal charges. Police recently ran an inaugural program in the wake of a high-profile underage drinking party in March.
“The New Canaan Police will continue to investigate and when probable cause exists, make arrests in cases involving underage drinking parties,” the police report said.
Criminal cases involving those younger than 18 generally are referred to the Juvenile Matters Division of state Superior Court.
The NCPD Anonymous Tip line can be reached at 203-594-3544.
“Anonymous tips”? Arrests of 16 y.o. kids in their own homes? Are we living in Iran or New Canaan?! There are better ways to handle kids drinking beer.
New Canaan
rhe·tor·i·cal rəˈtôrək(ə)l/ adjective :
… (of a question) asked in order to produce an effect or to make a statement rather than to elicit information.
WB Root — good question — I remember the 60’s and the 70’s
going to parties with 100 people there — the only time the police came if it got to loud — God forbid what they would have found
if they looked — we live in different times — have to go it my day to watch and report on my neighbors
Is it possible that we’ve taken, “It takes a village” a bit too far? How did humanity manage to thrive prior to that level of community intrusion?
You must be kidding. I’m sure there is more than one lawyer in New Canaan who can dig up a chart of liability lawsuits over time (starting from your free wheeling 60’s and 70’s) to now – owing to drunk driving, or liability to others due to accidents in your home. Let’s not forget the police department can actually be sued as well if they are found in breach of their duties and such a breach leads to damages to others…
Kathy — key word arrested — growing up in the 60’s and 70″s
Police ( my stepfather was one of them) would not have
arrested this person — they would stopped the party
and informed the parents — which in our day we feared more
then the police — also the comment was about who called the police
and the nanny state we now live in — again our neighbors
would have spoken to our parents and not call the police