Police want to send message by issuing 174 alcohol citations

• Newark police on Saturday broke up a party with an estimated 200 people.
• Underage drinking charges were filed against 174
• The charges come after a visiting student died last year during St. Patrick's Day.

The weekend raid of a student house party in Newark where 174 were cited for underage drinking was meant to send a message to those who provide alcohol to minors, authorities said Tuesday.

"It was a party that was disturbing the good order of the neighborhood," said Newark police Sgt. Dennis Aniunas about the mass ticketing of minors found drinking Saturday afternoon in a rental house at 302 E. Park Place.

Police said about 200 were partying at the small brick home and backyard, where a small swimming pool was set up, in a residential area south of campus. They arrived to find loud music, public urination and trash around the yard, police said.

Aniunas said they usually break up parties and get everyone to leave, but infrequently coordinate raids where police issue citations to all underage partiers. It's a way to deter those who legally purchase alcohol from making it available to those under 21 years old.

Police said three of the four residents of the Newark home will likely face 174 counts of providing alcohol to minors as well as other citations for disorderly premises and hosting an unpermitted gathering of more than 150 people.

Police declined to release names on Tuesday because charges have not been filed.

Charges of providing alcohol to minors carry a penalty of $200 and up to 30 days imprisonment for the first offense. Fines of $500 to $1,000 and 60 days in jail are possible for each additional violation, according to Newark code.

The last bust that saw everyone underage at a large party getting ticketed was in 2014, police said.

The raid Saturday involved about 44 officers from the University of Delaware, Newark and Middletown police departments; State Police; and state Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement. Aniunas said they didn't pick the East Park Place house until Saturday.

Those over the age of 21 were allowed to leave. One person needed medical help and about 37 cases of Natural Light beer as well as bottles of liquor and boxes of wine were seized, police said.

Michelle Kelly lives a block away and saw the party in full swing before police arrived about 4 p.m.

"We drove down there and we couldn't believe it. The yard was full. It was like a football game. We could hear the roar of them singing and chanting," he said.

University of Delaware senior Brian Mohon sat in the grass of his yard two blocks away eating a sandwich and live streaming the bust as police processed the citations.

"The brought Porta Potties and stormed the backyard," Mohon said. "There were girls walking down the street crying, some laughing. Same with the guys: Everyone was calling their parents."

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The average blood alcohol content of those tested was .092, Aniunas said.

Those cited face up to a $200 fine as well as the suspension of their Delaware driver's license for 30 days.

The party was also hosted by a fraternity with no university affiliation called APES, according to police. APES was started by members of the former Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. The school's chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi was suspended for hazing violations in April 2014.

On Tuesday, Andrea Boyle Tippett, spokeswoman for UD, emphasized the group no longer has ties to the university.

The four-bedroom house is owned by XYZ Rentals, a Powell, Ohio, company that has rentals in Newark and Columbus, Ohio, the home of Ohio State University. Calls to the listed telephone number were not immediately returned Tuesday.

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The house was empty on Tuesday, with only stray beer cans and red plastic cups hinting at the dramatic weekend. The episode didn't sit well with Mohon, who called it "ridiculous" as he sat on his porch studying Tuesday. He said it struck him as a waste of money.

"They had a similar party last weekend same exact time and nothing happened," Mohon said. "College students are going to drink and do whatever they want. They are going to party."

Ryan Rebasch, a student who lives next door and shares a backyard with the raided house, said the party mostly seemed like a "normal day-drink."

"I thought that (pool) was pretty cool," Rebasch said. "I’m not going to lie, I thought that was a nice addition to the party."

He said his home has hosted similar parties in the back yard that were dispersed by police without citations. He felt the punishment was harsh.

"You are going to college, you are going to UD," Rebasch said. "You know what is going on from ages 18 to 22 years old: People drink and have a good time. One hundred eighty tickets seems like a lot."

But Aniunas said such house parties upset neighbors and are dangerous.

"We get called on a daily basis about the destruction that they are doing to their property and the trash that is left on their property," Aniunas said.

Aniunas said police are taking underage drinking seriously and the goal is to stop people from providing to minors.

"It was clear there was a disorderly premise, which is a city code violation, and what appeared to be many underaged subjects with free access to alcohol and drinking underage," Aniunas said.

He pointed to previous deadly incidents with alcohol consumption in Newark:

• In 2004, an 18-year-old university freshman was walking home intoxicated when she was struck and killed by a train. 
• In one of the more high-profile cases, after the 2008 alcohol poisoning death of 18-year-old pledge Brett Griffin at UD, the family sued and forced the university to change its Greek life site to list violations against fraternities and sororities.
• In March, Willem Golden, a student from Skidmore College was staying at an unofficial fraternity house near campus when he fell from the roof to his death, during another so-called "day drink" party.

José-Luis Riera, University of Delaware dean of students, said venues that provide large amounts of non-monitored alcohol are a risk for university students and Newark residents.

“We understand students are going to engage in alcohol use,” he said. “But the stakes are high around their health and their safety and that is number one priority for us.”

National statistics show that nearly two out of three college students who drank alcohol in the past month engaged in binge drinking, in which they drink more than five drinks in a sitting for men and four for women. More than 1,800 college students between the ages of 18 to 24 died from alcohol-related, unintentional injuries last year, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Like many college communities, Newark and the University of Delaware have taken steps to prevent binge drinking among students.

Newark Police logged 461 criminal alcohol charges last year, including violations for students and non-students. Riera said promoting "harm-reduction strategies" are key.

"As students chose to make decisions to drink alcohol, even if they are underage, we want them to do that in a safe way that protects them and promotes them looking out for each other, while also making sure students are aware that it is illegal to drink underage in the state of Delaware," Riera said.

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Students cited for underage drinking can face educational sanctions up to suspension. The punishment will depend on whether they have violated the student code of conduct. Educational sanctions are generally some type of intervention around understanding alcohol use and abuse, Riera said.

“Every case is done individually,” Riera said. “So if there are students who have had student conduct history in the past that could impact [the] outcome. I can tell you that whoever is identified as a host of this situation would face more severe disciplinary sanctions.”

Newark also recently introduced a point system to track bars found to be selling liquor to minors.

Aniunas said additional raids are likely. Though police lack the manpower to frequently cite all illegal drinkers at large parties, he said, "you never know when we are going to do it again."

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Reporters Esteban Parra and Brittany Horn contributed to this story. 

Contact Xerxes Wilson at (302) 324-2787 or xwilson@delawareonline.com. Follow @Ber_Xerxes on Twitter.