By JOANNE L. PAPAIANNI
Less than one month after arresting 35 teenagers for drinking at two separate house parties in Ocean Township, Ocean police arrested 42 more underage drinkers partying at two other township residences.
Twenty-three were at a St. Patrick’s Day party on Raymere Avenue in Wanamassa and 19 more were arrested at a house on Roosevelt Avenue in Oakhurst in the early morning hours of March 18.
Police arrived at the first house at about 10:40 p.m. March 17, where they arrested two residents of the home, Kristopher Black, 20 and his sister, Kimberly Black, 18, and charged them with providing alcohol to underage persons.
Lt. Kevin McDermott of the Ocean Township police department said that the parents of the siblings were not home at the time of the arrest.
“I’m not sure where they were,” said McDermott.
He also said that the department is conducting an ongoing investigation into who may have aided the Black’s in obtaining the alcohol. Neither was in possession of fake identification at the time of the arrests.
“It could be an adult over the age of 21, it could be fake ID, or it could be someone in a liquor store doing something they shouldn’t have done,” said the lieutenant.
Thirteen of the partygoers were between the ages of 18 and 20, while eight of them were juveniles 16 and 17 years of age. The juveniles were taken into custody and were released to parents or guardians at police headquarters.
Alcoholic beverages, including a keg of beer, were confiscated from the house.
Officers involved in the arrest were; Sgt. Charles Weinkofsky, Det. Sgt. Joseph Pangaro and Police Officers William Crosta, Michael Legg and Daniel Webber.
A short time later at 1:04 a.m. March 18, police responded to a noise complaint at a house on Roosevelt Avenue and were let into the house by partyers when police immediately noticed a large quantity of alcoholic beverages.
Police observed and determined that many of the guests were under the legal drinking age of 21 and discovered three under 18 years of age.
During the investigation officers noted a visibly intoxicated 16 year old holding a large amount of marij uana in his hand.
Robert Rufus, 20, who is renting the house, was arrested by Police Officers Michael Legg and John Hannah who charged him with providing alcoholic beverages to underage persons and for violating the township noise ordinance.
Sixteen underage adults were issued township ordinances for possession of alcohol underage and three juveniles were released to parents or guardians.
Charges for the juveniles will be forwarded to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Officer for review.
Lt. McDermott said there was no indication that those arrested this week were the same as those charged in February’s incidents.
On February 24, 13 juveniles were arrested for underage drinking after police responded to a report of loud music coming from a house on Tudor Drive.
The following night police were investigating reports of a runaway teen at a home on Stonehenge Drive when they witnessed teenagers in the home with alcoholic beverages. Twenty-two underage drinkers were arrested at that location.
The township is holding a special meeting April 19 in the high school auditorium to address the situation.
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