Police bust underage party; parents arrested

SEATTLE -- Police have arrested a couple after receiving a tip Saturday evening that they allowed their home to be used for a party that resulted in the arrest of 32 underage drinkers early Sunday morning.

On the scene, police also found an unconscious 18-year-old male and called medics. When they arrived, they tended to the male and also removed the homeowner's daughter from the residence after finding her passed out in her bed, laying in vomit.

The parents told police their daughter told them there would be no alcohol at the party.



The underage drinkers who were arrested were largely from high schools in Puyallup and Emerald Ridge, police said. Most of those arrested were inside the party, but police also arrested four youths who were parked outside the party, and a motorcylcist who tested three times the legal limit to drive.

"You'd think parents would rethink their 'Don't ask, don't tell policy' when it comes to alcohol use, especially during prom and graduation season," Puyallup Sgt. Bob Thompson said.

Pierce County's Party Intervention Patrols incorporate police, chemical dependency professionals and parents in their efforts to curb underage drinking. They said they have reduced the number of impaired teen driving deaths in Pierce County by more than 50 percent since 2007.