FALMOUTH, Maine — A Fieldstone Lane couple faces an Oct. 4 arraignment in the Cumberland County Unified Criminal Docket in Portland after they were indicted Monday on charges of allowing teenagers to drink alcohol during a June party at their home.
Barry Spencer, 53, and his wife, Paula Spencer, 52, were each named in nine Class D counts of allowing a minor to possess or consume liquor in indictments handed up by a Cumberland County grand jury.
Class D misdemeanors are punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.
Lawyers Walter McKee and William Childs, who represent Barry Spencer and Paula Spencer, respectively, have indicated in court records they will enter pleas of not guilty for their clients. Both attorneys advised the court and Cumberland County District Attorney Stephanie Anderson of their intentions before arraignments scheduled for last month.
The Spencers and their lawyers this week did not respond to questions about the case, which stems from a June 16 party at the Spencers’ home.
The party was billed as a chem-free celebration of championships won by the Falmouth High School boys lacrosse and baseball teams, but the indictments list nine teens between the ages of 15 and 18 who allegedly consumed or possessed alcohol at the party. Six of the nine teens were under the age of 18.
In June, Falmouth Police Lt. John Kilbride said officers first responded to an anonymous tip about the party around 10:30 p.m. on June 16. Kilbride said Barry Spencer assured Sgt. George Savidge at the time the party was a chem-free celebration.
After Savidge left, Officer Luke Hallett stopped a car nearby and discovered teens who had been drinking. The teens allegedly told Hallett they had been at the Spencer home, so Savidge, Hallett and Officer Dennis Ryder returned to the home to investigate.
At the time, and again this week, Kilbride was graphic in describing a party with as many as 100 teenagers present, in various stages of sobriety.
Some screamed obscenities at police or fled into the woods behind the home.
“Officers had to deal with a pretty difficult scene and they were concerned about the drug use, the alcohol use and the vast amount of vomit they were seeing,” Kilbride said in June.
At least three juveniles were charged at the scene with alcohol-related offenses, and Kilbride said this week that it was challenging to build the case against the Spencers for hosting the party.
“Party scenes are very difficult to manage to extract all the evidence you’d like to get,” Kilbride said. “You make sure the ones who need treatment get treated and the ones that are trying to get behind the wheel don’t, and then you work backward.”
The cases against the Spencers will be heard together, with a dispositional conference scheduled for Nov. 28. Lawyers will present motions Dec. 18, and a trial is expected to begin sometime around Jan. 28, 2013.
Good! I am glad that finially at least 2 of these type of people have to answer to being so stupid.
“. . . [Falmouth Police Lt.] Kilbride said it was challenging to build a case against the Spencers for hosting the party. ‘Party scenes are very difficult to manage to extract all the evidence you’d like to get.’ ”
If he thought it was hard putting this case together for the prosecutor and the grand jury, wait until the trial. This could be a messy case to prosecute and not necessarily a slam dunk given the state’s burden of proving what the homeowners knew and allowed. Though I will admit UHOH65 is probably correct about them “being so stupid”. Anyone would be crazy these days to allow a bunch of teenagers in their house for a party. It’s just asking for trouble.
Not only crazy but irresponsible. If one wants to teach their kids that drugs and booze is the way to go then yeah, you cant fix stupid. But when one decides to furnish a place of booze and drugs to other people’s kids, well they are asking for more than trouble.
I agree that this is going to be a messy case for sure but if those parents were home at the time the police arrived, you can pretty much count that they knew what was going on. (Just my opinion)
Yes, like politicians in trouble: “What did [they] know and when did [they] know it?”
Some people would say it’s OK, it’s in their home where it can be monitored. Better in the home than in some quarry (etc). It’s still against the law. Minors under 18 were drinking, and kids were driving home, with some (either drinking or passengers had been drinking).
In any case they broke the law. They need to be held accountable if found guilty
The problem is that the parents misguided attempt to control the alcohol consumption almost always leads to things quickly going out of control. Kids may drink anyway, but I think it is a problem when they are given permission to do it by well-meaning but misguided parents.
This looks like a teenage party that got out of control. Although the indictments allege that the parents allowed the children to possess or consume alcohol, those are charges and will have to be proved in court. I would be surprised if the parents actually gave the children permission to drink.
I would not be, only because I know of parents who have actually done this.
Just goes to show how old and out of touch I am.
I personally think that parents allowing this to happen is showing bad parenting. It’s my opinion only. Parents are supposed to show the kids the correct and lawful way, but hosting events like this, it’s just hypocritical.
“The party was billed as a chem-free celebration of championships won by the Falmouth High School boys lacrosse and baseball teams, but the indictments list nine teens between the ages of 15 and 18 who allegedly consumed or possessed alcohol at the party. Six of the nine teens were under the age of 18.”
I’m confused. Is it nine, or six, teens under 18?