PORT TOWNSEND — The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is deciding the disposition of 25 cases of underage drinking after deputes said a post-prom party got out of hand.
One juvenile, a person younger than 18, was taken to Jefferson Healthcare hospital for alcohol poisoning treatment early Sunday morning and was treated and discharged, said Detective Brett Anglin of the county Sheriff’s Office.
“In the scheme of what this office sees, this is not a rape or a murder,” Prosecuting Attorney Michael Haas said.
“But a child had to be hospitalized. If that child had died, that would have created an extremely serious circumstance.”
Deputies arrived at a house in the 200 block of Sutter Street just outside the city limits at about 1 a.m. Sunday after receiving a complaint from a neighbor about excessive noise, Anglin said.
The Port Townsend High School prom was Saturday night.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 25 files had been forwarded to Haas’ office, 12 of them concerning juveniles younger than 18.
The rest were for people older than 18 but younger than 21, the legal drinking age.
Haas said the decision whether to prosecute will be based on the results of the investigation, which is still in progress.
Anglin is conducting the investigation, which includes making a determination of where liquor was acquired and whether deputies recommend that the owners of the property face charges.
When three deputies arrived early Sunday morning, they found what appeared to be “a large number of juveniles outside a house, and there was alcohol present,” Anglin said.
Several juveniles were under the influence of alcohol or were in possession of it, he added.
Deputies questioned all those present and issued about 30 citations for minor in possession, according to Anglin.
No one was taken into custody. All those present were released into the custody of their parents, who were called to the scene, Anglin said.
While deciding the prosecution, Haas said he will attempt to find a balance.
“When it comes to prom, every parent is praying their kid doesn’t do something stupid, drink too much and end up dead,” he said.
“This isn’t the crime of the century, but we need to take this seriously.”
It won’t all be Haas’ choice.
A minor cited for possession of alcohol is required by state law to enter a diversion program that can include community service or therapy.
If the minor stays out of trouble for nine months, the incident “will never see the light of day,” Haas said.
Those older than 18 are treated differently and will appear in District Court, Haas said.
At least one adult was on the premises at the time of the party, according to a Sheriff’s Office report read to the Peninsula Daily News in a redacted version by Haas.
According to the report, deputies asked one of the juveniles whether there was an adult on the premises. The juvenile went into the home and came out a few minutes later to report that no one was inside.
When deputies requested permission to see for themselves, the juvenile re-entered the home and emerged with an adult, who gave a statement.
As of Tuesday, nothing had been entered into court record, and Haas declined to provide age or gender information about those cited.
Anglin said it could take a month or more to complete the investigation.
On Monday, he conducted two interviews on the high school campus with the knowledge of the parents, but he said that isn’t required “because we are not talking to them as suspects.”
The school district is not directly involved, according to Superintendent David Engle, aside from watching out for the safety of the students and protecting their right to privacy.
Engle said he didn’t believe any student’s graduation would be disrupted by the incident but that any conviction or citation could render the student ineligible for athletic participation.
Haas said he expected to meet with deputies Tuesday afternoon to discuss the case’s disposition.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
