News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Teens who are cited for underage drinking face stiff penalties - as a bunch of Sisters area youths are discovering in the wake of a large party that was broken up by sheriff's deputies last month.
On November 14, some 45 to 50 underage youths showed up for a party at a rented house on Ash Street. According to Deputy Don Pray, the Sisters School Resource Officer with the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, the party was hosted by a pair of 20-year-olds who had invited a few friends.
"The word got out that there was a party and everybody started showing up," Pray said.
The cops showed up, too. Several of the partygoers fled the scene, but a total of 21 youths were cited as Minors in Possession of Alcohol (MIP). There was probably marijuana on the scene, too, but "not that they were cited for," Pray said.
"There were pipes on scene, which no one claimed ownership of, so (deputies) just destroyed them," Pray said.
The 20-year-olds were cited for MIP and for furnishing alcohol to minors. Nineteen others, almost all Sisters teens, were cited for MIP. Some on the scene had not consumed alcohol and they were not cited.
The youngest teens cited at the party were 15.
An MIP citation is not just a slap on the wrist. Teens face losing their driving privileges for 90 days for a first offense and for up to a year for a second offense.
A driver who already has her license could have it suspended. A teen who can have his permit or his license delayed due to an MIP. Statutes include driving penalties for teens aged 13 to 17.
"That means if you get an MIP at 13 or 14, that can affect your driving privileges down the road," Pray said.
First-time offenders are eligible for a diversion program. At the end of that program, a juvenile judge can set aside some or all of the license suspension or delay.
In addition to the legal sanctions, teens cited for MIP will lose privileges at school.
"If they're currently signed up for a winter sport, they'll be suspended out of that program," Pray said.
Pray said the incident was a disappointment. Teen drinking statistics have been trending down since 2006 and programs such as the advocacy effort TAPS (Think Again ParentS) seem to be having an effect on teen drinking. However, one party with 21 citations have "blown those stats out of the water," Pray said.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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