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Parent Education: Parent to Parent
The Florida Times-Union
May 29, 2008
Careful what you serve to graduates
By MATT COLEMAN,
The Times-Union
The grills will be smoking, the tunes will be blasting and the drinks will be flowing.
Graduation parties for high school students will be in full swing this week and some have already begun, but all that fun can come to a sobering end if a partygoer under the age of 21 partakes in any booze.
Open-house parties with alcohol are par for the course during graduation season, but authorities are urging parents and party hosts to be aware of underage drinking. Providing alcohol to minors is a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine and up to 60 days in jail, and authorities will be out in force to send that message.
In Jacksonville there were 17 open-house party arrests in 2007, up from 13 in 2006.
Police are usually alerted to these parties through noise complaints or reports of multiple vehicles flooding a residential area, said Lt. Ronnie Gann of the juvenile crime unit in Clay County, where 23 such arrests were made last year. He said once officers determine who is in charge of a party, they decide what course of action to take. The host's previous arrest record also can be a factor.
"Prior arrests or failing to appear in court could mean a trip to jail for the night," Gann said.
The law doesn't just pertain to parents who pass out booze to underage revelers - it states adults and party hosts need to take "reasonable steps to prevent the possession or consumption of the alcoholic beverage or drug" by minors.
That means parents are in violation of the law if a party with underage drinking is thrown at their home. Even if they don't organize the party, parents are liable if nothing is done to stop it, Gann said.
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Melissa Bujeda said enforcement of this law depends on community assistance. She said officers often hear about underage drinking at a party after the celebration has ended. She encourages parents and students who hear about plans for parties involving underage alcohol consumption to let authorities or school resource officers know in advance.
"They are responsible for protecting the minors that are too immature to appreciate the consequences of illegal drinking," Bujeda said.
Five Jacksonville men were charged with supplying alcohol to minors last year after the deaths of a pair of underage friends. Ross Roberts, 20, and Ashleigh Cook, 18, drowned when Roberts, who had a blood-alcohol level of 0.15 percent, drove his truck into Julington Creek. Roberts and Cook had attended two parties that night.
Assistant State Attorney Mark Borello said hosts are liable if an intoxicated minor leaves a party and crashes a vehicle or gets a DUI. Another charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor can be assessed if the minor is under the age of 18.
"Supplying alcohol to a minor is a strict liability situation," Borello said. "If they are sold or given alcohol and they are under 18, the person who gave them the alcohol is guilty."
The law caught up with a Jacksonville attorney May 18 when she was arrested at her Neptune Beach home during a birthday party for her son.
Police were dispatched because of a noise complaint from a neighbor. Maria Rogers, 56, was arrested after refusing to provide officers with her driver's license or fingerprint, according to the police report. An officer noted there was an open keg of beer on the premises and 40 to 50 underage individuals in her backyard drinking from red cups and bottles of beer.
Rogers, who did not respond to calls for comment, was charged with selling, giving or serving alcoholic beverages to people younger than 21 and resisting an officer without violence.
Have an alcohol-free graduation party
- Remove all alcohol from the residence prior to the party.
- Have an adult present to monitor the party.
- Have more than one parent present if you are expecting a large crowd.
- Call law enforcement if a youth arrives with alcohol.
- If your child is hosting the party, take part in the planning and be aware of what is going on.
- If your child is going to a party, know who will be there and if it will be chaperoned.
By the numbers
Following are open-house party arrests in 2007 for Northeast Florida counties that had numbers available.
CLAY 23
DUVAL 17
PUTNAM 2
Source: respective sheriff's offices
, (904) 359-4654
This story can be found on Jacksonville.com at http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/052908/met_283876542.shtml.
