City's first social host ordinance citation

By Mollee Francisco 

The city of Chaska’s message that it won’t tolerate residents who provide a venue for underage drinking rang loud and clear Sunday morning. Chaska police officers handed out their first citation for violation of the city’s social host ordinance.

The ordinance makes it illegal for anyone to knowingly provide a place for underage drinking to occur. Chaska was the first city in the state to pass the ordinance in September.

According to Chaska Police Chief Scott Knight, a teenage boy was the recipient of the first citation. Officers came into contact with him and two of his friends around 9 a.m. on Dec. 16 as they sought the owner of a vehicle that was blocking a downtown Chaska driveway, Knight said.

Instead officers found an intoxicated juvenile female. According to Knight, the female was allegedly provided alcohol by another juvenile male who did not live at the residence. The three had gathered there after the boy’s parents had already gone to sleep. The parents are not being charged, Knight said.

Though the juvenile resident did not consume or provide any alcohol, under the new ordinance, he was cited for providing a place to drink.

“He wouldn’t have been culpable in the past,” said Knight. “But he is today.”

The juvenile male who allegedly brought the alcohol was also cited for providing alcohol to a minor, while the juvenile female was cited for underage drinking.

Knight said that the female, who lives in Carver County, but does not reside in Chaska, lied to her parents, telling them she was going one place while she was actually going to another to drink.

“Mom was quite displeased with the scenario,” Knight said. “But she was pleased to hear about the social host ordinance and how it applies in this situation.”