Police Rout Alcoholic ‘Ditch Party’

Police broke up a loud drinking party attended by more than a dozen Orange High School students Thursday morning, and three of the teens were taken to a hospital because they had consumed dangerous amounts of alcohol.

Officials said such “ditch parties” are relatively rare and that Thursday’s incident was especially unusual.

“Usually if we have a party involving teens and booze it happens on the weekend,” Orange Police Lt. Jim Anderson said. “It’s not very common that we would roll to a party with alcohol at 10 in the morning on a weekday. In this circumstance, the drinking was so excessive that we actually had to call paramedics for the severity of the intoxication.”

The three ill teens were treated at the hospital’s detox unit and were expected to make full recoveries. The others were taken to the Orange Unified School District’s truancy center or released to family members.

“He’s going to be in big trouble,” said one adult, who arrived to pick up his cousin. “I know what goes on at these types of things. Apparently this isn’t the first time.”

One student who attended the party on a small street in southern Orange said that about 25 teenagers spent the morning drinking lemon tequila shots.

“We were just kickin’ it,” she said. “We didn’t mean to drink, but somebody came with the drinks. It wasn’t even a party.”

A 17-year-old boy said word spread at the high school that the party was raging, and he and others simply ditched class and headed for the house. “I was at school and one of my friends said, ‘Come on over, we’re gonna kick it,’ ” he said.

Police were called to the house just after 10 a.m. after getting calls from neighbors who reported a loud, rowdy party in progress.

Several school administrators across the county described the incident at Orange High as an isolated event and not part of any pattern that they can see.

Officials in a sampling of districts said truancy in general is not a major problem at local schools, with a rate of about 1% reported in the Orange Unified, Anaheim Union and Capistrano Unified school districts. Ditch parties are “infrequent,” Garden Grove Unified School District spokesman Alan Trudell said.

Sometimes school administrators hear plans for a “ditch day” and intervene before it takes place. Principals and other officials then warn students that they could be suspended for skipping school and punished further if alcohol is involved.

Zero-tolerance policies in many districts make the price of being caught very high. The policies against drugs and alcohol use and other infractions result in suspension, expulsion or transfer to another school.

Details of the Orange Unified School District policy and how it might apply to the students involved in the party Thursday morning were not available.

Ron Dempsey, the director of child welfare and attendance at Capistrano Unified, said that in his district, marijuana--not alcohol--is the cause of more “zero-tolerance” violations.

“Liquor store owners are more aware of the risks of selling to minors.”