Underage drinking charges filed after teen found in ditch
Two 16-year-olds and a number of juveniles face charges in Davidson County after an alleged drinking party over the weekend. The two 16-year-olds were not taken into custody, but were charged as adults under North Carolina law. North Carolina is one of only two states that prosecute 16 and 17 year old individuals in adult court regardless of the severity of the alleged offense.
On Saturday morning Davidson County deputies responded to a tip from a 911 call regarding a young teen found lying in a ditch. The 14-year-old was barely breathing and suffering from hypothermia. The boy allegedly had spent part of Friday evening at an underage drinking gathering with seven other male teenagers between the ages of 13 and 16.
Law enforcement claims the group had difficulty carrying the 14-year-old after drinking vodka together. Detectives claim the teens said the group of teens left the 14-year-old in a ditch sometime Friday night.
The teens allegedly told law enforcement they covered the 14-year-old with sweatshirts and leaves. The group of teens reportedly went home after leaving the 14-year-old in the ditch. Temperatures overnight dropped to near freezing. The boy reportedly remained in the ditch unconscious for up to 12 hours.
Two of the teens in the group are 16-years-old. A 16-year-old man is charged as an adult with underage consumption of an alcoholic beverage.
One of the 16-year-olds is accused of supplying the alcohol, a half-gallon bottle of vodka. Police say the 16-year-old Winston-Salem area woman stole the vodka from her parents’ liquor cabinet. The young woman has been charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor related to the allegations of supplying the alcohol to the group of boys.
A number of petitions reportedly have been filed in the juvenile court system for each of the teens involved in the incident who are under the age of 16, according to Davidson County deputies.
Source: My Fox 8 WGHP, “Teens Accused Of Leaving Intoxicated Companion Outside Overnight,” 16 Feb 2011
Tags: After, Charges, ditch, Drinking, filed, Found, Teen, Underage