Community Corner
Party Busted: Southington Police Cracking Down on Underage Drinking
A noise complaint led officers to discover 11 minors, including three under 18, drinking alcohol and as these parties have been discovered in recent months, police are now cracking down hard on underage drinking.
The Southington Police Department has a message for those under 21-years-old: if you make the decision to drink alcoholic beverages, be prepared to pay the price.
Just one day after citing four for underage drinking, the department responded to a noise complaint on Friday evening and proceeded to cite 11 others, including three people under the age of 18, for taking part in an underage drinking party on Berlin Street.
Police were dispatched to a home at 288 Berlin Street around 10 p.m. Friday night with reports of a noise complaint. Youth were also seen carrying alcohol outside the home and drinking from open containers, according to the police report.
“While checking the residence, Officers found evidence of alcohol use including drinking games, opened and unopened beer cans and opened liquor bottles,” said Sgt. Jeffrey Dobratz.
After conducting a complete search, the following people were issued infractions for Possession of Alcohol by a Minor:
- Matusz Legowski age 20 of New Britain.
- Shaun David Carroll age 18 of Plainville.
- Enrico Rossetti Jr. age 18 of Plainville.
- Matthew Garuti age 20 of Southington.
- Vedran Jahic age 20 of New Britain.
- Michelle Winiarski age 18 of Plainville.
- Jacqueline Benites age 19 of Plainville.
- Alexandra Perillo age 20 of Southington.
In addition, three juveniles under 18 were cited with the charge. One of those minors, a resident of the address, was also cited with permitting minors to possess alcohol.
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The department is cracking down on such incidents in an effort to avoid tragedy, Dobratz explained earlier this year. He said the department doesn’t seek to ruin fun for youth, but will not tolerate illegal behavior.
“It’s about encouraging smart decision making and making sure everyone behaves in a safe manner,” he said in the previous interview. “We want to address the issue before poor decisions lead to tragedy for these youth or someone else in the community.”
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