Northville Resident Cited for Hosting House Party, Giving Alcohol to Minors

A 51-year-old Northville resident was cited on Jan. 1 on charges of violating the city's open house/party ordinance and for furnishing alcohol to minors, according to a Northville police report.

Two Northville officers were dispatched to the house on Coldspring after the police received a 911 call at 3:30 a.m. by a young man. The dispatcher could not understand what the man was calling about, but said that he appeared to be vomiting while on the phone, the report said.

When the officers arrived, they saw a few teenagers run into the house. The officers could see several other people inside the house, but when they knocked, the people dispersed, the report said.

Eventually, the homeowner came down the stairs to answer the door. Despite the man's protests, the police said they needed to come inside the house to verify the status of the caller since it could be a medical emergency, the report said.

The police found the caller unconscious on the couch in the living room. He told the officers that he had been drinking. CEMS were called in to treat the boy, the report said.

A 15-year-old male was found asleep on the floor, who told the police there were other teenagers in the house that had been drinking, the report said. The officers told the homeowner that they needed to locate everyone to check on their well-being in case any of them needed medical treatment due to intoxication, the report said.

The police found 11 more teenagers in the basement, and all but one said they had been drinking that night, the report said. The teenagers said they had also been drinking earlier that evening with parents and adults who later left the house. The teenagers said all of the alcohol was provided to them at the house, the report said.

The officers decided not to charge each of the teenagers with underage consumption, but would instead charge the person they deemed responsible for hosting the party and providing the alcohol: the homeowner.

All of the teenagers were then asked to call their parents to pick them up or were driven home by the sober teenager, the report said.

For questions on the police blotter, email rebecca.jaskot@patch.com.