New Year’s Party Ends Early For HP Teens
It seems to us that any New Year’s party ending before 10 p.m. is pretty lame. Yet that’s what happened when Highland Park cops busted a rowdy gathering that involved dozens of teenagers and plenty of alcohol.
It happened at 9:51 p.m. on Dec. 31 in the 3600 block of Drexel Drive, when officers found early-bird partygoers hiding and scattering well before the clock struck midnight.
One of them was a shirtless boy in an adjacent alley who could barely stand and resisted help from his friends. He was taken to the hospital for possible alcohol poisoning.
As the cops looked for contraband and surveyed the damage, they found vomit on the bathroom floor and in the bathtub. There was an open safe in a master bedroom closet and jewelry scattered on the floor.
A teen who lives at the house suggested calling “the people who were supposed to be watching me,” which led to the arrival of some godparents a short time later. That couple denied that they were supposed to be supervising anyone. The homeowner subsequently arrived and was apologetic.
So what were the drinks of choice? The party remnants included three empty vodka bottles, as well as bottles of rum and whiskey. Among the unopened beverages were a bottle of chardonnay, 24 cans of Bud Light, 12 bottles of Coors Light, and three cans of Budweiser.
Recapping the punishments, the teenage host was cited for minor in possession of alcohol and consumption by a minor. Five others were cited for consumption by a minor. All were released to spend the rest of New Year’s Eve in the custody of their parents.
What’s your take on the prevalence of teenage alcohol parties in the Park Cities? One parent made their stance clear here. We welcome your thoughts as well.
Where were the parents? These children were minors. What else would one expect of
children left un-supervised on such a festive evening as New Years Eve. . This is clearly irresponsible of the parents to have left an open venue for a party for minors. And, to whom was the parent apologetic? The HP police?
An apology falls far short of the structure, supervision, and discipline necessary to maintain the health and safety of a minor. The Godparents denied responsibility so Who was. “watching the child”?
It is fortunate that no children were hurt or no lives were sacrificed as a result of this parental negligence. The responsibility for this sad event falls totally at the feet of the parents whose home the incident occurred.
I partially agree, a saddened observer, but you know what? Kids lie. Kids look mom and dad in the eye and say one thing and do another. I do think parents who leave teens alone for a night or a few days unsupervised are taking a big risk though. People do it – they leave town and their senior child is left home alone . . really dumb in my opinion..