A Darien mother was arrested after she held a birthday party that included cases of beer and other alcoholic beverages for her son, who was under 21 years old, and his underage friends, police said.
The woman, who had taken the car keys from attendees and told them they would have to get rides back home, said their parents knew about alcohol being served, according to police. When police questioned parents, they all denied they knew about the alcohol.
Darien police described what happened in this announcement, including accusations not proven in court (quotes below are from the announcement):
Arrest photo from Darien P.D.
Darien police arrest photo for Brooke Rizzo, 47, of Noroton Ave., charged with delivering alcohol to minors.
At 10:37 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 29, police received a tip that there was under-age drinking at 237 Noroton Ave. Police went there and saw numerous vehicles parked on the street nearby.
As officers walked down the driveway of the home, a man who told police he was the homeowner met them. Police could see a small, detached building at the rear of the property. Officers thought they saw people under age 21 and alcoholic beverages. Police asked the man what was going on.
This Man Was Not Charged
The man said he was having a party for his son. “The male homeowner asked the officers several times what he could do to minimize their response.”
Police told him they needed to investigate. “He responded that he had taken all of the attendees’ car keys and informed them they needed to get a ride home.”
Apparently the officers had to repeat themselves: “When officers continued to impress upon the homeowner that they would need to investigate in order to assure the safety of the attendees, he became upset.”
The man told them that his wife, later identified as Brooke Rizzo, was at the party with the partygoers.
“As officers approached the building the male homeowner attempted to enter prior to the officers, closing the door behind him. The officers entered the building and directed the male homeowner out.”
Inside, police saw “numerous” underage people, a table with a beer-drinking game set up on it and “numerous cases of various alcoholic beverages.”
This Woman Was Charged
They also saw Brooke Rizzo, 47, who “stated she was throwing a party for her son and his friends.”
When police questioned her, she said she had “made arrangements to get everyone a ride home and that the parents of all attendees were aware of, and O.K. with, the consumption of alcohol by their children.”
Police added: “Rizzo was very argumentative with officers, stating several she didn’t believe there was anything wrong with what had been occurring.
“Several of the parents who responded to retrieve their children indicated to officers that they were unaware of any alcohol being present at the gathering.”
Rizzo was arrested on a charge of delivering an alcohol to a minor. She was released on a promise to appear Jan. 11 in state Superior Court in Stamford.
PARENTS: Don’t Say You Weren’t Warned
—Police: Parents Should Keep Their Legal Obligations in Mind When Their Teens Host Parties (May 16, 2017)
—Darien Police: If Your Kids Are Drinking, Police May Charge You (May 22, 2018)
Drinking in Darien
—DRINKING IN DARIEN: Worse than Elsewhere for Both Teens and Adults — and the Problem is Growing (Jan. 30, 2017)
—Panelists: High Rate of Teen Drinking in Darien Comes with High Stress, Lax Attitudes (Feb. 11, 2017)