When police arrived at a Silver Lakes Drive home after a report of a loud party and saw teenagers running off toward woods in back, near New Haven Line railroad tracks, Metro-North was contacted and all train traffic was halted, police said.
In a lucky break for Metro-North riders, the incident happened at 1:15 a.m., Saturday, when traffic was very light. Unluckily for the parents at the house on 17 Silver Lakes Drive, police charged them with permitting people under 21 years old to possess alcohol on their property.
Darien police described what happened with this account of the incident (including accusations not proven in court):
After someone complained to police of loud noise coming from the area of the house, officers arrived at the scene and saw several people talking loudly in front of the home and other people, believed to be teenagers, running from the place into nearby woods.
Police also saw empty beer cans on the garage floor and tables set up to hold beer cans and other alcoholic beverage containers.
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Officers found several teenagers in the woods and returned them to the house. Then the halt on train traffic was ended.
Both Paul Arevalo, 55, and Anastasia Arevalo, 49, told police they were home and knew their child was having a party with friends, but they said they knew nothing about alcohol being served.
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Six Darien and New Canaan teenagers, all 16 or 17 years old, at least one of whom was visibly intoxicated, were later turned over to their parents.
The Arevalos were issued misdemeanor summonses at the scene and released on written promises to appear later in state Superior Court in Stamford.
Police issued this statement about parents and parties featuring teenagers and alcohol:
The Darien Police Department again reminds residents that property owners and parents are responsible for what happens in their homes and on their property. Property owners and parents will be cited if they knew, or clearly should have known, that underage subjects were possessing alcohol in their home or on their property and they fail to take any and all reasonable steps to halt said possession.
See also:
- Police: Semi-conscious Girl, 16, Taken to Hospital After Teen Party with Booze (April 24)
- Teens Have Died from Binge Drinking in Darien: Police Officer at Panel Discussion (March 8)
- Commentary: Think Europe Has the Right Approach to Teen Drinking? Here’s Evidence They Don’t (March 16)
- Teen Drinking & Binge Drinking: Dr. Frank Bartolomeo’s Perspective (March 9)
- Drinking in Darien: Former School Resource Officer James Palmieri’s Perspective (March 8)
- Darien Health Dept: How Many of These Risks from Under-Age Drinking Do You Know? (Feb. 19)
- DHS Principal Ellen Dunn on Drugs, Drinking, Disciplining Students and What Parents Can Do (Feb. 12)
- DRINKING IN DARIEN: Worse than Elsewhere for Both Teens and Adults — and the Problem is Growing (Jan. 30)
- Group Launches Campaign to Counter Darien’s ‘Troubling Rate of Teenage Binge Drinking’ (Feb. 2)
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