Police rousted more than a dozen teenagers from a beer-fueled party at a house in Slidell over the weekend and arrested the host's father, who told officers he had slept through the revelry.
Officers were called to 121 Kings Way about 12:30 a.m. Saturday after receiving complaints about a party at the house, Slidell Police Department spokesman Capt. Kevin Foltz said.
At the home, they found a table set up for beer pong, a game in which participants compete by tossing ping-pong balls into cups of beer that their opponents then have to drink, Foltz said. A trash can nearby was overflowing with empty beer cans, and funnels used to chug beer and more empty containers were found on the ground, he said.
After police knocked on the front door for three minutes, homeowner Colin Lucado II answered and told officers he had been sleeping and didn't know the extent of the party in his house, Foltz said.
As officers searched the house, where more beer cans were scattered about, they found three teenagers in a bedroom pretending to sleep, Foltz said. Several other teenagers were found hiding in another room, he said.
Police learned the party had been organized by Lucado's 15-year-old daughter. The partygoers said that after a few people had been invited, others showed up with beer, Foltz said. The officers were told a large number of teenagers had jumped over a fence when they saw the police coming, he said.
Those remaining at the party were between 15 and 18 years old, Foltz said.
The officers took down the names of the juveniles and had their parents pick them up. The parents told police they didn't know alcohol was going to be available at the party.
"Our biggest problem is these kids don't have anything to do and they're looking for ways to expel their energy and unfortunately this isn't the correct way to expel it," Foltz said.
Lucado, 47, was booked with 12 counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile and letting a disorderly place. Each of the counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile carries a fine of up to $500 and a sentence of up to six months in jail. Letting a disorderly place, which involves allowing a home to be used for illegal acts, carries the same penalties.
One of the teens, 18-year-old Chase M. Bozant, was booked with failing to appear at Slidell City Court on an unrelated charge. The other teens were not cited or arrested.
It's unclear how common teenage drinking is in Slidell, but Foltz said he "personally believes this happens every weekend."
"It's a problem we'd like to be proactive about, but the kids can be pretty sneaky and it's ultimately up to the parents to pay attention to this," he said.
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Jeff Adelson can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org or 985.645.2852.