Pantagraph.com | News | Clinton police arrest 15 at underage drinking party

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

sciencefictionology is a cult wrote on May 19, 2008 7:36 PM:

" majorminor wrote "shouldn't you complain that these kids are obviously not smart enough to either run away or get rid of the booze when the COPS come knocking on the door? If the cops are able to get a warrant and come back and STILL arrest the kids, they deserve every bit of it. " What an ignorant thing to say. This would only have lead to additional charges; did you really think the cops all left to get the warrant? Don't blame the parents, those arrested are old enough to be responsible for their own actions. The only way parents can made sure their children this age stay out of trouble would be to escort and shadow them everywhere they go. Not. Just like you can "lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink" a parent can teach their children all the correct things to do but they can't make them do it. My prayer is that the attendees will learn from their mistakes, drinking is not necessary to have a good time and not a good idea when you are under the legal age limit.
"

boyles55 wrote on May 19, 2008 3:35 PM:

" hey ppl any one who didnt have a beer or and alcohol before there 21 st b day throw the first stone i know the firtst time i got drunk was with my parents when i was 15 im not a alcoholic i drink maybe once a month with my buddies im a social drinker so kids have drink at home is alot better then on the road behind a wheel "

Young & Open Minded wrote on May 19, 2008 12:53 PM:

" They would have been better off just smoking pot...At least that wouldn't have impaired their motor skills.

This whole thing is very humurous to me. Why is this even news? Are there really that few underage drinking busts that it should be published? I'm only 23, and I honestly only drank once in the US before turning 21. I was 18 and blacked out and said "I'll never drink again." Well, then I turned 21 and I'm still trying to make up for the lost years of high school and college that I 'missed out' on.

And 'SuperJ' I wish they would have offered a 13 week course on how to do shots of Tequila. Maybe then there wouldn't be so many people that ruin the great taste with a lime or salt! Good tequila needs nothing more than a mouth to go down. "

localcelebrity3 wrote on May 18, 2008 12:35 PM:

" okay, so the music was from a computer, so it couldn't have been loud. none of the kids were leaving, and everyone was calling parents asking for advice. i guess that means no more parties in clinton. as for the police, i think next time they should remember to read people their rights before they are handcuffed. "

DK61727 wrote on May 16, 2008 2:27 PM:

" "Randall Flagg", you didn't read what I wrote. Randall: There is a provision for waiving the minimum age standard for military service. The waiver requires a volunteering juvenile to have parental consent to serve in the military. But, there is NO SUCH WAIVER PROVISION in federal voting laws or state drinking laws. To vote in elections, etc. and to drink alcohol age requirements are set by statute and may not be waived. Hope that clears it up for you. Now, my personal opinion is: If I decide to buy and serve my underaged child alcoholic drinks, that is my decision, not the state's; BUT, certainly not my underaged child's discretion to exercise by himself. In fact, when I lived in Texas, a person could take their children into a bar, buy them drinks and the children could drink alcohol in bars with their parent(s). It should be that way, everywhere. "

DK61727 wrote on May 16, 2008 12:03 PM:

" "MajorMinor", so your advice for suspects of crimes is to voluntarily assist the police in gathering evidence against them? Bull! Ever hear of the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution relative to self-incrimination? Voluntarily consenting to a search of a suspect's home flies in the face of that principle. By the way, you really owe it to yourself to learn much more about this country's system of jurispurdence. The judge is not the police and not the prosecution. It is the judge's special responsibility to be just as conscientious in protecting the rights of defendants as the rights of police; Even more so! In the real world, it is extremely unusual to issue a search warrant after sundown, absent illicit drugs. This judge should be extremely upset with the police and SA, not the kids! The BURDEN OF PROOF to gather evidence against a defendant is upon police, not defendants. In law, the word, "BURDEN", was purposefully and appropriately chosen.
"

Randall Flagg wrote on May 16, 2008 9:27 AM:

" DK, you made my point...what you are saying is that if soldiers can get "parental approval" than any child should be able to drink as long as their parents sign a waiver. A parent can decide that a child is old enough to serve in the army, but can't decide whether their 18 year old can drink in the privacy of their own home? Are you advocating allowing parents to send any age child to serve in the army as long as they sign a permission slip? The point is: if you think they're old enough to fight, then they're old enough to drink...period. "

gravy wrote on May 13, 2008 1:47 AM:

" lets put the responsibility where it belongs, on the kids at the party. the police did their job whether you agree or not. chances are if one of these kids had been hurt or killed people would be screaming that the police are not doing anything "

mamaR wrote on May 12, 2008 11:46 PM:

" I've lived many places in my life, most recently Clinton. To act as though underage drinking is specific only to Clinton is ignorant. Kids - no matter where they live - try to get away with things like this. Do I condone it? No. Do I think the police did what was right? Yes. There have been numerous underage drinking & driving accidents in Central Illinois. Drinking in a private residence doesn't mean they were staying there. Bottom line: The police were doing their job. Like it or not, the kids were breaking the law. And now they will have to pay the consequences for their actions. What is repulsive is that the same thing happening in a larger town, such as Bloomington, probably wouldn't make the headlines. But the constant attempt to make Clinton and its residents look bad has made this a top story. It's sad that the good things going on here can't make the paper. "

big willy wrote on May 12, 2008 11:44 PM:

" You honestly didn't drink when you were 18? Props to you, growing up in Clinton that takes mad skill. Bottom line, some of the cops are looking to bust high schoolers. We better be careful! "

ask77 wrote on May 12, 2008 8:18 PM:

" No Cameron, I can honestly say as a graduate of Clinton and life long resident of the town, that I didn't do those kind of things when I was 18. "

Ciscokid wrote on May 12, 2008 5:32 PM:

" Alright alright alright.. i was actually at this party. i am 18 years old. and i blew zero. and to MajorMinor. you might not want to go saying we deserve getting caught for those reasons. because what you don't know is while the cops were out getting the warrent. the streets were blocked off and there were cops at every door and walking the perimeter. and i don't understand how any of you people can talk about this like you didn't do the exact same things when you were 18. i'm not saying what we were doing was ok, but we could have been doing worse. "

SETUP2108 wrote on May 12, 2008 4:42 PM:

" I personally think the cops instigated this whole thing... they get bored on Saturday nights just like the kids do. Anyone know how many cops it took to round those kids up? Take a guess. This is another reason Clinton needs to develop things for teenagers to do on weekends. "

caa wrote on May 12, 2008 4:02 PM:

" I am amazed at the number of people on here who think underaged drinking is okay. Or that the kids should have ran or just turned down the music so they could keep drinking. Ask anyone who lost a child because of underaged drinking parties if they think it is just part of growing up. Ask the family of the PCHS student who ran from a drinking party if that was a good idea. The child died from cold exposure. I'm sure they would have prefered he didn't run. "

Duber3 wrote on May 12, 2008 3:25 PM:

" To Bronco: Calm down. 6 of the names on here were 19 and older. Did they get mommies permission to go out drinking, doubt it. Besides, who care, they got arrested for under age drinking, end of story. I still don't think you can blame the parents for this stuff, unless of course, the parents are buying the alcohol. "

MajorMinor wrote on May 12, 2008 3:24 PM:

" DK61727, you find the statement troubling? You'd prefer that they simply broke the door down without following proper procedure?

They'd have arrested the kids anyway if they had opened the door. They would not be responsible for irritating a judge and SA (I know I'm not charitably inclined towards anybody when I get woken up), and it's never in your favor to have irritated a judge.

The best way to avoid helping police to gather evidence is to avoid behavior that would incite the police to gather evidence. "

Duber3 wrote on May 12, 2008 3:23 PM:

" To Country Boy: Exactly. Clinton has absolutely nothing to do for anyone, not just kids, but anyone. It was not uncommon for us to get beer, go to a friends house, play cards and just hang out. It was about the only thing there was to do besides go to the square and sit on the wall. At least they weren't out driving around doing it. "

bored wrote on May 12, 2008 3:17 PM:

" Yeah, we always kept the music down. Seems to be the main reason why cops are called. Fools. "

Country Boy wrote on May 12, 2008 3:05 PM:

" it seems to me a lot of people here that never touched any alcohol before they turned 21 years of age. I do not know where you came from but around this area, especially in the small towns, this is nothing out of the ordinary. Its part of growing up, so loosen up and go have a cold one...geez... "

bronco wrote on May 12, 2008 3:02 PM:

" to Duber3.. just because they are 17 doesn't mean they are out on their own. Of the 17 and 18 year olds listed here one is a Sophomore, one is a Junior and at least 4 are Seniors in high school. Yes, there are parents who still keep tabs on their children until they are out of high school!!! I do and mine is 17. Most of these kids this is not their first offense either. So when your kid turns 17 are we supposed to just turn them loose and let them do whatever they feel like? "

DK61727 wrote on May 12, 2008 2:55 PM:

" "Country Girl", tell me what you believe would have happened if these kids had ignored the "adults" advice [that you object to] and consented to admit the police to the house? Would the outcome have been any different? That is, would the police, acting under a consensual search, not have arrested these kids?

Consider Chief Reidy's comment, “They would not allow us access so we had to wake up a judge and state’s attorney and get a search warrant.” This is a troubling statement. It implies that the course of action the police took might have been different if the kids had cooperated more fully with police. I believe "Country Girl" interpreted the statement likewise. In general, I believe it is stupid to voluntarily assist the police to build evidence against you in a criminal case, especially if you know you are violating the law.
"

BigBrother wrote on May 12, 2008 2:44 PM:

" I do not condone underage drinking and I do not condone police misconduct either. It appears to me that the police went to much greater lengths than necessary for a noise complaint. I would bet there were some egos involved in this bust or possibly some small town targeting. "

DK61727 wrote on May 12, 2008 2:39 PM:

" "MajorMinor", where does it say that all, or, even, any of the cops had to leave the premises to get a search warrant? Statements in affidavits for search warrants can be in part or in whole heresay information. The chief could have sent just one officer to obtain the warrant. Also, I don't know about Illinois, but there are such things as telephone affidavits and warrants. Call up the judge who listens to the P.C., sometimes electronically records the affidavit, and the judge issues a verbal warrant. Last, but not least, it is best not to run from the police or to enter a vehicle to flee while under the influence. That opens Pandora's Box. "

Duber3 wrote on May 12, 2008 2:35 PM:

" Parental involvement? Only 1 was a minor in this case. How many 17 + year olds are still under the microscopic eye of their parents? Good Lord, I would say it's safe to say almost all of the names in this article are no longer living at home. You can blame parents for some stuff when it's a child, 17 and older really isn't a child any more. If my 8 year old flips off his teacher because he's seen me flip off someone, then it's my fault, if I have a son that's 18 and he flips someone off, it's his thing, not mine. Do you blame your parents everytime you do something wrong? When I got a speeding ticket a couple years ago, was it my parents fault that I was speeding? NO. Not everything is a direct result of poor parenting. "

Country Girl wrote on May 12, 2008 2:33 PM:

" I understand 1 boy called an adult and this adult told them to ignore the cops and they couldn't enter unless they got a warrant and they wouldn't be able to get a judge out of bed to sign one. That's the kind of adults they are listening too. I know of at least 3 on the list that are repeat offenders. The cops were right to do this because there could be tragic results if they ignore the underage drinking. "

DonH wrote on May 12, 2008 2:20 PM:

" Stupid kids. Most busts for illegal drinking are because of noise. If they'd act mature and just drink and keep it down, they never would have been caught. "

MajorMinor wrote on May 12, 2008 2:00 PM:

" Are any of these poor, mistreated kids actually IN the military?

And instead of complaining about that, shouldn't you complain that these kids are obviously not smart enough to either run away or get rid of the booze when the COPS come knocking on the door? If the cops are able to get a warrant and come back and STILL arrest the kids, they deserve every bit of it. "

default wrote on May 12, 2008 1:59 PM:

" The drinking age should be 19. Not 18. 18 year olds can still be in high school (generally). With 19, you're pretty much safe that he/she is not in high school. The maturity level is higher at 19 (every year counts at that age). "

bronco wrote on May 12, 2008 1:54 PM:

" Doesn't anyone here wonder about the lack of parental involvement in these kids lives? "

DK61727 wrote on May 12, 2008 1:46 PM:

" "Randall Flagg", the military accepts children (under 18) to fight providing the volunteer child has the approval of his parents or guardians. Yet, it would still be illegal for them to drink alcohol, at least in Illinois. Presidents FDR and HST sent children among the 291,557 who died in WWII battles. President HST sent children among the 33,741 who died in battle in Korea. Presidents LBJ and RMN sent children among the 47,424 Vietnam battle deaths and President GWB sent children among the 4,075 who died in Iraq battles. And, I even suspect there were children among the 14,107 active U.S. military members killed on active duty while Bill Clinton was President during the years 1993 to 2,000. "

Lighthouse wrote on May 12, 2008 1:39 PM:

" Spring/summer is here. Let the partying begin. "

Super J wrote on May 12, 2008 1:25 PM:

" The "old enough to go to war, old enough to drink" is a lame argument, because it assumes that everyone is fit for military service at age 18. In other words, there is no screening process to drink a beer. You don't go through 13 weeks of training (and then specialist training on top of that) to learn how to do shots of tequila.

On top of that, in the military, you are existing in a highly regimented, highly supervised environment... you are literally being ordered what to do every day. Your duties are well defined, your tasks are assigned. Decision-making is based on significant oversight by superiors.

Not exactly the same thing as a Friday night with a case of beer in downtown Clinton, Illinois. "

Duber3 wrote on May 12, 2008 1:17 PM:

" I know where you are coming from, but the bottom line is that until they change the drinking age to 18, it's still illegal. I agree that if 18 is old enough to join the Army, then it should be old enough to drink as well, but it's currently not the drinking age. "

Duber3 wrote on May 12, 2008 1:14 PM:

" Being sent to fight is a choice made by the men and women that signed up for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines. Underage drinking is illegal, no matter what. Your comparison is no where close to rational. "

LeRoy Republican wrote on May 12, 2008 12:56 PM:

" I disagree there Duber3.
The rationale is that if you are old enough to defend your country, you should be old enough to drink legally. That doesn't make what these kids did right but the fact that they were doing it in the privacy of someones home shows some amount of responsibility. "

Duber3 wrote on May 12, 2008 12:39 PM:

curliegirlie wrote on May 12, 2008 12:35 PM:

" Pasta--You're right. Which is why the 16 year old isn't named. "

cubsfan wrote on May 12, 2008 12:23 PM:

" Underage drinking? In Clinton? Surely you jest! "

Randall Flagg wrote on May 12, 2008 11:39 AM:

" So all but about 3 could get sent over by Lil' Bush to die in order for oil companies to make more money, but drink in a private home.....no way - too young! "

Pastafarian wrote on May 12, 2008 11:29 AM:

" If I am not wrong, I think the age you can be charged as an adult is 17, so the Pantagraph can publish the names.
"

Townie here... wrote on May 12, 2008 11:27 AM:

" Durr kids...keep your music down and you'd have been fine. "

IlliniAlumni wrote on May 12, 2008 10:30 AM:

" oh thank heavens, i feel so much safer now. instead of drinking in the privacy of someone's home, these kids will probably drive to champaign where most of them would be allowed in bars (and allowed to drink, just not get caught beer-in-hand) and then risk the trek home after close. i mean unless the daily paragraph has embarrassed them into never drinking again ::sarcasm:: with the name drops... "

Country Boy wrote on May 12, 2008 10:28 AM:

" geez, all they had to do was turn the music down... "

WorkinTheOpinionBoard wrote on May 12, 2008 10:23 AM:

" I thought they weren't allowed to post minor names? Unless they've actually been charged, prosecuted? "

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