17 Teenagers Charged At Grand Place Alcohol Party

By Andrew Gorosko

An illegal alcohol party for teenagers held at a Grand Place home on the night of August 25 resulted in police issuing alcohol violations to 17 underage people, police report.

An anonymous caller informed police at about 9:30 pm that underage drinking was underway at the property, so they sent several officers there to investigate, said Sergeant Douglas Wisentaner.

Police said an unidentified 17-year-old female resident of 16 Grand Place held the party there while her parents were away from home. Grand Place is a residential side street off Queen Street.

“Upon arrival, officers observed a large number of people at the residence, as well as a large amount of alcohol. None of the participants were of legal age,” police said in a statement on August 29.

After investigating, police issued the 17-year-old female resident of the property an infraction ticket for allowing minors to possess alcohol on private property. That infraction ticket bears a fine of $136. It is appealable in court.

State law shields the identities of people under age 18 who are charged with criminal offenses.

Police said they also issued 16 underage people infraction tickets on charges of illegal possession of alcohol by a minor on private property. Those tickets also bear fines of $136.

In addition to the alcohol possession violation, police said they charged one unidentified 16-year old boy at the party with possession of less than four ounces of marijuana and with possession of drug paraphernalia, after they found a bag of suspected marijuana and a smoking pipe on the boy.

Police booked that youth on the criminal charges and then released him from custody on a written promise to appear for arraignment on September 5 in Danbury Youthful Offender Court, police said.

Sgt Wisentaner said police apparently arrived at the party before much alcohol had been consumed by the youths. The alcohol present was mainly beer, he said.

The youths at the party were cooperative with the police’s investigation of the incident, he said. Police called the youths’ parents to have them retrieve the teenagers from the scene, he added.

Among those charged with illegal possession of alcohol by a minor on private property were: Carra Buckley, 18, of 44 Bear Hills Road, and Ian Doerr, 18, of 49 Spring Trail, police said.

Three other 18-year-olds, all from Monroe, each were charged with the same offense. They are Thomas Sapah, Joshua Berez, and Aaron Berez, police said.

Ten other unidentified youths under age 18 received infractions for the same offense, police said.