City brings new ‘social host ordinance’ into play for the first time

NEWMAN – The city’s new social host ordinance was applied for the first time recently – and two parents will be left with the bill to show for it in the aftermath of their 17-year-old daughter’s keg party while they were out of town.

Police Chief Randy Ulibarri said that parents as well as the juvenile are being held to answer for the incident. The girl faces possible charges, while the parents will be handed a bill for police services that could well run into several hundred dollars.

Ulibarri said the large and rowdy party was in full swing when police rolled up to the home in the 1700 block of Canyonlands Way on the night of Jan. 11 – but party-goers quickly scattered when officers broke in a locked gate to gain entry after their knocks went unanswered.

Officers estimated that anywhere from 50 to 80 teens bolted from the premises.....leaving the teen who lives there to face the music.

She was taken into custody, and later released to a relative, Ulibarri said, and police collected two kegs and an assortment of hard liquor as evidence.

They will also be adding up the costs of breaking up the party, from the time police officers responded all the way through to the report writing and processing of evidence.

“We are going to go after them to recover the cost of all our services,” Ulibarri said. “This will be the first case in which we will go after the homeowner for the costs of breaking up a party.”

The message to parents, he added, is a stern one.

“It doesn’t matter if you are home or not, you are responsible for the actions of your children and need to take steps to insure that things like this don’t happen,” Ulibarri commented. “Leave your children with a responsible adult if you go out of town.”

Police had not yet come up with a final tally on the cost of their services, but Ulibarri said the bill will be significant.

And, he said, the city is serious about collecting.

“That’s why we put the law on the books,” the police chief stated.

That might not be the worst of it for the parents, he added.

“They completely tore up the inside of the house. It was completely trashed,” Ulibarri noted. “Not only do the parents have our costs, they are going to have extensive repair costs to their house.

“I know the parents are not going to be happy when they get home.”

The party had not drawn neighborhood complaints, but was reported to patrol officers by a member of the department’s volunteer program.

“As part of our burglary suppression efforts, we have our volunteers out in unmarked vehicles patrolling neighborhoods,” Ulibarri explained. “They came across this loud party and reported it to the officers who responded.”