Northville Resident Cited for Hosting House Party, Giving Alcohol to Minors
The following information was provided by the Northville Police Department.
A 51-year-old Northville resident was cited on Jan. 1 on charges of violating the city's open house/party ordinance and for furnishing alcohol to minors, according to a Northville police report.
Two Northville officers were dispatched to the house on Coldspring after the police received a 911 call at 3:30 a.m. by a young man. The dispatcher could not understand what the man was calling about, but said that he appeared to be vomiting while on the phone, the report said.
When the officers arrived, they saw a few teenagers run into the house. The officers could see several other people inside the house, but when they knocked, the people dispersed, the report said.
Eventually, the homeowner came down the stairs to answer the door. Despite the man's protests, the police said they needed to come inside the house to verify the status of the caller since it could be a medical emergency, the report said.
The police found the caller unconscious on the couch in the living room. He told the officers that he had been drinking. CEMS were called in to treat the boy, the report said.
A 15-year-old male was found asleep on the floor, who told the police there were other teenagers in the house that had been drinking, the report said. The officers told the homeowner that they needed to locate everyone to check on their well-being in case any of them needed medical treatment due to intoxication, the report said.
The police found 11 more teenagers in the basement, and all but one said they had been drinking that night, the report said. The teenagers said they had also been drinking earlier that evening with parents and adults who later left the house. The teenagers said all of the alcohol was provided to them at the house, the report said.
The officers decided not to charge each of the teenagers with underage consumption, but would instead charge the person they deemed responsible for hosting the party and providing the alcohol: the homeowner.
All of the teenagers were then asked to call their parents to pick them up or were driven home by the sober teenager, the report said.
For questions on the police blotter, email rebecca.jaskot@patch.com.
Joseph McCauley
9:30 am on Thursday, January 10, 2013
It's bad enough when a parent isn't around. This really takes the cake. Encouraging kids to drink is really stupid. The theory is you'd rather have them drink at home rather than someplace else is incredibly self serving and irresponsible.
vivi
10:47 am on Thursday, January 10, 2013
I couldn't agree more. If you aren't concerned about your own child, and you aren't concerned about being the responsible adult with someone else's child, and you aren't worried about breaking the law, wouldn't you, at the very least, be concerned about your own culpability? Can't fix stupid.
erbrel
7:02 am on Friday, January 11, 2013
This man is a menace to our children. Why don't you publish his name? You were happy to publish the name and photo of a special needs teenager who was accused of being a sexual predator...m
Mary D.
9:32 am on Friday, January 18, 2013
As a local area psychotherapist, can I just say that nothing good is going to happen in a 15 year old's life after midnight...let alone 3:30AM?! Parents have to stop treating their teenagers like adults when it is convenient FOR THE PARENT(S) to do so! Any teenager is going to take advantage of opportunities to "forget my life" when their own home life, in a word, SUCKS! Barring any pre-existing mood or personality disorder...kids ARE a reflection of their parents---and their parents' so-called "parenting" skills. I also know lots of parents are overwhelmed, struggling to make ends meet, blah blah blah...but throwing your own kid(s) under the bus by treating them like they're 25 instead of 15 is NOT a good idea---ever!
vivi
10:09 am on Friday, January 11, 2013
Good point, erbrel!
DaTruth
5:31 am on Saturday, January 12, 2013
The fifteen year old took alcohol from the the other teenagers and drank it by himself. The news is writing the 51 year old man as a criminal, when a fifteen year old boy drinks when he knows he is not supposed too. If this is a typical "northville house party", then the kids are definitely providing alcohol for themselves. Agreed that the parent shouldn't let this happen at their home, and he is in violation of the law. But 3:30 at night? 11 kids in the basement, few of which that were sober? Seems like the party was coming to a end if you ask me. And we should respect the confidentiality of the 51 year old, and put that 15 year old in an alcohol education class, because he obviously doesn't know of the effects.
vivi
10:39 am on Saturday, January 12, 2013
Da Truth? Sounds like you're one of the teenagers. What is your point? There was obviously a gathering of adults and teenagers, and from what the article says, ALL but one of the teenagers had been drinking and admitted it. When the police arrived, the homeowner "eventually" came downstairs and "protested" the police coming into the house, where they found a kid UNCONSCIOUS on the living room couch. The article also says the kids had been drinking WITH the parents. And what is your point about it being 3:30 a..m.? That the homeowner didn't have any responsibility because he was asleep? There were obviously kids in and outside of the house since they scattered when the police arrived. Nope, sorry: not blaming the 15 year old for this. If the adult had been doing their job, this wouldn't have happened in his home. Maybe the 15 YO needs some counseling for alcohol abuse, as you say, but the adult needs some counseling on parenting and legal responsibility.