Students enter deals in underage drinking case

CHAPEL HILL -- About 20 high school students nabbed for underage drinking last month at Chapel Hill house parties entered into deals this morning that ask parents to attend some alcohol counseling sessions with their children, said Orange-Chatham District Attorney Jim Woodall.

Most of the teens were students at East Chapel Hill High School, and they were caught at one of two parties last month. In addition to legal trouble, the charges led to school discipline including counseling sessions and loss of parking and lunch privileges. Some students couldn't represent their sports teams for about two weeks, parents said.

In a uniform plea arrangement for all who accepted it, District Court Judge Charles Anderson said the charges would be dropped if students attended 15 hours of alcohol classes and paid a $150 fine. Parents were also asked to attend a court appearance with their child as well as attending some of the alcohol classes. If not, the students must also complete 25 hours of community service.

This is the first time parental participation has been made a condition of deferred prosecution, Woodall said. High school drinking has become more of a priority for local law enforcement and the community, and having parents be a part of the solution is important, Woodall said.

"It's a big problem with these parties," he said. "I think most of these situations arise when the parents aren't with [their children],,.so the offense itself is based on parents not being present."

But some parents thought their children were being made examples of, and doubted it would change whether teenagers continue to drink alcohol.

Parent Barbara Eron said her son's punishment was appropriate, but when asked whether the police crack down had decreased high school drinking, she said,"No, I do not think there is less drinking."