Recent Party and Parent Fined for Serving?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The United States is one of five non-muslim nations in the world that doesn't let 18 year olds drink

I was having the same thought. Seems ever so slightly odd that the continent of Europe can handle alcohol at 18 but we just get our undies in a bundle.

Recall that the Puritans left Europe to come here!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
The United States is one of five non-muslim nations in the world that doesn't let 18 year olds drink


I was having the same thought. Seems ever so slightly odd that the continent of Europe can handle alcohol at 18 but we just get our undies in a bundle.

That is all we need more drunk drivers on the road...

[Anonymous]

I was having the same thought. Seems ever so slightly odd that the continent of Europe can handle alcohol at 18 but we just get our undies in a bundle.

I was an exchange student to Germany at 18. I so a lot of kids who did not handle their alcohol at 18.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When my son left for college he sat down and told us all the families at school which allow drinking at parties. He reminded me of the nights he came home at 10:30 pm because he did not want to get involved in illegal drinking. His friends told him their parents don't want the US government in their house and they govern their homes as they see fit. I had no idea these parents allowed drinking in 9-12 grades. It's my fault for not asking the parents about their house rules.

Most of those "parents" would have lied to you.

[Anonymous]

I can share a recent "been there, done that" experience. My kid was cited for alcohol possession at a party in MoCo. The parent at a home where there was a quiet indoor party where kids were drinking was fined almost $40K. Ultimately the officer was found to have violated the proper procedure to enter and search the premises, so the fines were thrown out - but one of the parents spent the night in jail and spent months fighting this. The kids all had to go to court, pay fines, do community service, take an alcohol education class. (The details were all posted on the circuit court website, which is a publicly searchable database that schools and colleges can access.) This was not a loud outdoor keeger-type party - it was about 25 kids in the basement of a large home on a large lot (no external evidence of a party - only 2 cars parked on the street). I'm not defending the party - my kid was among those who got in trouble and caught absolute hell from us - but just informing people of a few things. 1) From our experience with a kid who hung out with a crowd that partied, kids these days don't drink and drive much. It's easy to get cabs and they do - there is a social stigma attached to DUI, thankfully. 2) If a parent allows a party in the home and the party is busted, fines accrue to the homeowner parent and vary depending on whether the kids cited for possession are under 18 or over 18. I think the parents at the party where my kid was cited got $2000 fine for every kid under 18 and $1000 fine for kids who were underage but at least 18. 3) If you are under 18 and are cited for possession (and you just have to be in the same place where alcohol is being consumed, you don't have to have actual physical possession of it - constructive possession is enough to do you in), it's worse than if you're at least 18 - the fines are higher, the "payback" is harder, and it stays on your record longer before being eligibile for expungement. 4) If your kid is at a party that is busted, and has not been drinking at all, they should volunteer for the breathalyzer because they will likely just be sent home. The cops will have more than enough on their hands with the kids who were drinking. 5) The police can and will search all areas of the house - including bedrooms and closets - to find kids who have been drinking. They spent over an hour searching the house where my kid was busted. 6) A parent will not be cited for their own child drinking underage in their home. However, if two unrelated parents are together in the home (say they are friends "chaperoning") the resident parent can be cited for the other parent's child - being WITH your parent isn't enough to not get cited, you have to be with your parent in your own home. I hope our experience helps some other parents and kids understand that condoning an underage drinking party can be a big, expensive pain in the neck that has potentially serious consequences for the future - college applications, job applications, etc.

[Anonymous]

Thank you very much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to be dumb as shit to host a party and serve underage people alcohol. It is illegal and dangerous with a huge list of liabilities. I never understand any argument for doing this, NEVER!

+1

You are absolutely correct. I'm a lawyer and don't want the liability. I also don't want to face disbarment or lose homeowners' insurance. There is no way I would host one of these parties.

[Anonymous]

But what if you don't know you are hosting a party where kids are drinking.
What if there are ten kids in your house watching TV in the basement and they have smuggled alcohol in to your house?

I have teenagers and this happens. There is a lot of pie in the sky talk here about...`I would not do this because I do not condone teenage drinking.''

You don't have to condone teenage drinking to host teenage kids who are drinking in your house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But what if you don't know you are hosting a party where kids are drinking.
What if there are ten kids in your house watching TV in the basement and they have smuggled alcohol in to your house?

I have teenagers and this happens. There is a lot of pie in the sky talk here about...`I would not do this because I do not condone teenage drinking.''

You don't have to condone teenage drinking to host teenage kids who are drinking in your house.

My guess is that smaller parties, parent-condoned or otherwise, that don't draw attention with lots of cars, excessive noise, etc., are far more likely to fly under the radar. I don't want another parent serving alcohol to my (under 18) kid under any circumstances, but who calls the cops on a neighbor when the parents are home and there is nothing obvious or suspicious going on?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who calls the cops on a neighbor when the parents are home and there is nothing obvious or suspicious going on?

Other kids do, sometimes. Frenemies do it as a "joke," kids from rival schools or sports teams do it for revenge.

[Anonymous]

Presumably the police need a warrant to enter your home?

[Anonymous]

This is 9:05. The police didn't have a warrant but someone had gone to get one - the homeowner was advised to let them in since if the police had to wake up a judge to get the warrant it was all going to be much worse for everyone. MoCo is taking this stuff very seriously and are sending a clear message that they won't tolerate it and will use all measures to enforce the underage drinking laws. In VA, by the way, a minor in possession charge results in mandatory 6 month suspension of drivers license - judge gets no latitude. Second offense is 12 month suspension. Back in my day, the police would pour out the beer and tell everyone to go home!

[Anonymous]

Parents party upstairs, kids in basement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is 9:05. The police didn't have a warrant but someone had gone to get one - the homeowner was advised to let them in since if the police had to wake up a judge to get the warrant it was all going to be much worse for everyone. MoCo is taking this stuff very seriously and are sending a clear message that they won't tolerate it and will use all measures to enforce the underage drinking laws. In VA, by the way, a minor in possession charge results in mandatory 6 month suspension of drivers license - judge gets no latitude. Second offense is 12 month suspension. Back in my day, the police would pour out the beer and tell everyone to go home!

This is the kind of thing the police like to say so they don't have to bother with due process. I would never take legal advice from the police..

[Anonymous]

-- How to Deal with Law Enforcement --
Above all, never give consent to a search.
First off, you should always comply with the physical directions of the police officer.
Secondly, do not say anything more than you need to. The Fifth Amendment gives you protection against incriminating yourself, and staying silent does not give a police officer probable cause to get a warrant or perform a search. Lying to an officer, on the other hand, does allow the to charge you with Obstruction of Justice.
Third, make sure you never give an officer probable cause for a warrant. Keep any illegal activity, such as drunken guests or alcohol containers out of sight. An officer who thinks that a guest is underage and drinking may have probable cause to search them.
Finally, never make deals with a police officer. They may offer to "let you off easy" if they can "just take a look around". Police officers have no control over your sentence and cannot authorize any sort of deals. Do not bargain with them.