Eleven Cited as Police Break Up Underage Party at Watershed Property

Eleven area residents are facing charges after police broke up a weekend party at the watershed property off Rustic Oak Drive late Friday night.

Neighbors caught the teenagers entering the woods after several cars were parked along the street, police said, and when officers investigated the complaint, they discovered that the underage residents were drinking on the wooded watershed property.

The youths, all 17 to 20 years old, were each cited with possession of alcohol by a minor and simple trespassing and given infractions totaling $228.

“Neighbors called in suspicious activity after seeing the group enter the woods,” said Southington Police Sgt. Lowell DePalma. “The watershed area is clearly marked with no-trespassing signs and they needed to go beyond those and through a gated area to get into the property. The department takes a hard stance against this type of activity.”

The watershed area has been a “party spot” in the past, police said, but officers have cracked down in recent years with patrols making regular rounds, DePalma said.

It was the first party of the year that police have broken up, but enforcement will continue.

“When you conduct this kind of enforcement early in the season, it sends a message not only that parties won’t be allowed at this location, but that this type of activity won’t be tolerated anywhere,” DePalma said. “We will be continuing to enhance efforts throughout town as the weather gets nicer.”

The following were cited Friday night:

- Madeline Ciak, 19, of 36 Lincoln Drive in Southington
- Nicholas Stakey, 18, of 27 Scarano Road in Southington
- Olga Dabrowska, 18, of 157 Partridge Drive in Southington
- Michael Stokes, 20, of 409 Mulberry St. in Southington
- Zachariah Distefano, 20, of 70 Crystal Farms Court in Southington.
- David Derisi, 20, of 56 Sun Valley Drive in Southington
- Justin Patterson, 19, of 19 Alex Court in Plantsville
- George Blanchard, 19, of 60 Waverly St. in Cheshire
- John Clark, 19, of 209 Partridge Drive in Southington

Two 17-year-old Southington boys were also cited, police said.