Hudson Valley Woman Arrested For Hosting Underage St. Paddy’s Party
A Hudson Valley woman is accused of allowing minors to drink alcohol at her home on St. Patrick’s Day.
On Friday around 11 p.m., the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office received a report of an underage drinking party at a home on Swiss Hill Road North in Jeffersonville.
Arriving officers allegedly noticed around 12 underage partiers drinking alcohol. Four tested above the legal limit of .08 BAC, police say.
Deputies contacted parents who came to take home their children.
The home owner, 41-year-old Vanessa A. Sergio, was charged with unlawful alcohol consumption by a minor under the county's Social Host Law.
The charge is a violation for the first offense which carries a $500 fine and community service, officials say. Sergio was issued an appearance ticket which is returnable in the Town of Delaware Court on April 10.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the Social Host Law was proposed by District Attorney Jim Farrell and adopted by the Legislature in 2012.
"Aside from the stories we hear about alcohol poisoning and fatal DWI crashes, studies show that underage drinking has a lifetime of consequences for our children," Sullivan County Sheriff Mike Schiff said. "Keeping our children safe and out of harm’s way is a top priority for both my office and the District Attorney".
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