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'Don't do it': Lawmen discourage parents from hosting teen drinking parties

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By JARED ORZOLEK

orzolek@crescent-news.com

It was Dec. 27, 2006, when two area teen-agers were killed in a single-vehicle crash in Defiance County's Mark Township.

The crash led to a misdemeanor conviction for a Ney man who reportedly provided alcohol to the teens involved in the traffic accident. A civil lawsuit was also filed in Defiance County Common Pleas Court in connection with the incident.

Henry County Sheriff John Nye said area law enforcement officers are on the lookout for parties like the one that reportedly contributed to the 2006 accident.

Nye said teens often host parties at their home when parents are on vacation or out for the night.

He explained that law enforcement personnel work with local school officials to help combat the problem of teen drinking.

"We ask people to pass information to us if they learn something might be going on," Nye said.

The sheriff said persons caught furnishing alcohol to minors could face significant consequences.

"Don't do it. You wouldn't give someone a loaded gun, so why would you give someone alcohol and think they are mature enough to make the right decisions," Nye said.

Teen drinking is also taken seriously in Defiance County, according to Sheriff Dave Westrick.

"Parents who allow these types of parties are subject to liabilities that insurance won't cover," Westrick said. "To allow that to happen, for the sake of becoming popular with your kids, could not be more wrong."

According to the Drug-Free Action Alliance, an Ohio non-profit organization committed to the prevention of alcohol and drug abuse, a survey indicates youths from rural areas like northwest Ohio are more likely to say it was easy to obtain alcohol.

The organization cites data showing that youths from rural communities are more likely to say it was easy to obtain alcohol when compared to youths from larger cities.

"Youth are obtaining alcoholic beverages from many sources and location does not seem to have a significant effect," Patricia Harmon, executive director of the Drug-Free Action Alliance, said in a press release. "Youth get alcohol from a variety of sources like family and friends. We are trying to spread the message that providing alcohol to underage youth is illegal, unhealthy, unsafe and unacceptable."

The Drug-Free Action Alliance is the sponsor of the "Parents Who Host Lose the Most" campaign, which seeks to remind parents about the dangers and consequences of providing alcohol to minors. The program typically runs each spring in northwest Ohio.