Spring Break
House party raid yields 87 citations
Brandon Gorman
Issue date: 10/10/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
A total of 87 people were cited Friday when the Whitewater Police Department, with assistance from the UW-Whitewater Campus Police Department, interrupted a large-scale house party at 157 N. Prairie St.
The police department issued 81 citations for underage drinking. Six residents of the house that hosted the party were cited for furnishing alcohol to underage persons, sale of alcohol without a license and failure to prevent underage alcohol consumption.
"Sometimes there are additional tickets for disorderly conduct but the 81 tickets were all for drinking," Whitewater Police Chief James Coan said. "The ones for the people hosting the party will be well in excess of $1,000 per person," Coan added.
The fine for underage drinking on a first offense is $298 while a second offense is increased to $424. Most of those ticketed were UW-Whitewater students.
"Generally speaking, large scale parties are easy to identify," Coan said. "You can see the people coming in and out."
Morgan Rucks, 20, of Evansville, was at the party and cited when the police arrived.
"Coming up to the house you couldn't tell there was anything going on," Rucks said. "There wasn't any loud music or signs that a party was occurring. Everyone was in the basement."
Rucks said the basement was full of people and a variety of alcohol was served.
"The basement was packed, you couldn't move," Rucks said. "There were a couple of kegs and you could buy a cup for $5. There was hard alcohol too."
Rucks said the party was broken up early between 10:30 and 11 p.m., and police had all exits to the house covered.
"There were cops upstairs, downstairs and outside. We waited it out and hoped to leave but we were told to stay and wait," Rucks said.
Those 21 and older were asked to step forward and show identification while those underage were given breathalyzer tests. Once citations were given, party-goers were asked to leave the scene immediately.
In addition to the fines, the residents of the house may also face disciplinary action from their landlord and receive sanctions from the university.
"The consequences go beyond just the fine," Coan said. "It will come back to haunt you in the long-term in your career aspirations and in the future."
The police department issued 81 citations for underage drinking. Six residents of the house that hosted the party were cited for furnishing alcohol to underage persons, sale of alcohol without a license and failure to prevent underage alcohol consumption.
"Sometimes there are additional tickets for disorderly conduct but the 81 tickets were all for drinking," Whitewater Police Chief James Coan said. "The ones for the people hosting the party will be well in excess of $1,000 per person," Coan added.
The fine for underage drinking on a first offense is $298 while a second offense is increased to $424. Most of those ticketed were UW-Whitewater students.
"Generally speaking, large scale parties are easy to identify," Coan said. "You can see the people coming in and out."
Morgan Rucks, 20, of Evansville, was at the party and cited when the police arrived.
"Coming up to the house you couldn't tell there was anything going on," Rucks said. "There wasn't any loud music or signs that a party was occurring. Everyone was in the basement."
Rucks said the basement was full of people and a variety of alcohol was served.
"The basement was packed, you couldn't move," Rucks said. "There were a couple of kegs and you could buy a cup for $5. There was hard alcohol too."
Rucks said the party was broken up early between 10:30 and 11 p.m., and police had all exits to the house covered.
"There were cops upstairs, downstairs and outside. We waited it out and hoped to leave but we were told to stay and wait," Rucks said.
Those 21 and older were asked to step forward and show identification while those underage were given breathalyzer tests. Once citations were given, party-goers were asked to leave the scene immediately.
In addition to the fines, the residents of the house may also face disciplinary action from their landlord and receive sanctions from the university.
"The consequences go beyond just the fine," Coan said. "It will come back to haunt you in the long-term in your career aspirations and in the future."
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whitewaterstudent2010
posted 10/12/07 @ 9:07 PM CST
Hello captian obvious! I think that it is about time that students get caught! I mean as a student, I think that the cops actually saved 87 lives that night from driving home drunk, and no campus needs that and no town! Yes, the amount of money that is fined, is on the extreme, though it should serve as a "wake up" call for those students who think that it is fun to drink and then end up plastered! As almost anyone who is smart knows and especially college students: YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS AND SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR WHAT YOU DO AND DID! 'nuff said. (Continued…)
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