Sheriff’s deputies break up underaged drinking party

Just one month and 12 days after breaking up a large party of many underage drinkers in Whigham, the Grady County Sheriff’s Office was called to a different Whigham address where a similar situation was discovered.
At 3 a.m., Sunday, Sgt. Jacob Bush reports arriving at 1129 Strickland Rd., where complainants reported that people were picking on the only black male at a party and some had begun to vandalize his truck, causing the victim to flee into a wooded area nearby.
Bush reports that when he arrived on the scene, he activated his emergency lights and parked in an open area next to the house. “As I pulled in I saw upwards of 30 people running into the woods, some of which were carrying coolers into the woods with them,” Bush reports.
The rest of the crowd was asked to sit on the ground near Bush’s patrol car. He asked the seated group to call to their friends to come forward out of the woods. Bush writes that eventually, about 50 people were seated on the ground.
At least two 16-year-old boys, and 17 people under the age of 21 admitted to drinking that night. Bush contacted the father of one of the 16-year-olds, and released the boy to his custody. The other 16-year-old was passed out in the back of a pickup truck, according to the report.
Deputies and EMTs attempted to awaken the teen, who was lying shirtless and shivering in the truck bed. The EMTs used a chemical stimulant to wake the boy, who finally sat up. Initially, the teen told the deputy he was 18 years old, but later admitted to being 16. Cpl. T.S. Poitevint handcuffed and took the arrested juvenile to the Grady County Sheriff’s Office where he was eventually released to the custody of his mother.
Bush reports that he was able to find only six sober, licensed drivers in the crowd of 50 partygoers, and he made sure everyone left with a sober licensed driver. He called rides for several, Cpl. Chris Jowers gave three people a ride, and three others stayed at the residence with permission of the 23-year-old male owner, who was taken to jail on a misdemeanor charge of Disorderly House.
Last weekend’s incident comes on the heels of a July 16 party on Providence Road in Whigham where another crowd of 50 people, all between the ages of 14 and 23, was disbanded by sheriff’s deputies for being too loud. In that case, three people were arrested, including the 18-year-old female host. Sgt. Bush and Cpl. Poitevint worked that case, as well, along with Sgt. Jeff Riggins.