Reply to Recent Party and Parent Fined for Serving?

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[quote=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. [/quote]

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