Parents Charged In Underage Drinking Party

2 Teens Killed In Car Crash After Attending Party; Parents Charged With 5 Misdemeanors

(AP)  A couple have been charged with allowing their son to have an underage drinking party in their home, after which two teenage partygoers were killed in a car crash.

Jeffrey Hutsell, 53, and Sara Hutsell, 52, were charged with five misdemeanors, including endangering the health of a child and attempting to obstruct justice, police said Tuesday. Both were freed on $5,000 bail after turning themselves in Friday.

Officials allege the Hutsells allowed their teenage son to have a party in their basement where beer and rum were served. Two 18-year-olds who authorities say attended the party, Daniel Bell and Ross Trace, were later killed in a car crash not far from the Hutsells' home.

Bell, who was driving, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.132 percent, according to autopsy results. The legal limit for drivers older than 21 is 0.08. Toxicology reports also show Trace had marijuana in his system.

Prosecutors allege that the Hutsells knew what the teenagers were doing.

"The defendants were home, aware of the gathering, failed to control the party, failed to control access to their home (and) failed to control children's access to alcohol," said Assistant State's Atty. Dan Shanes. "Alcohol was freely and readily available to all the kids who were there, at least a couple dozen who came in and out."

There was no immediate response Wednesday to messages seeking comment that were left at numbers listed for the Hutsell in Deerfield.

[ecuadoriana]

jamdowner1, back in the "good ol days" there were TV sit coms where the plot went something like: Kid makes mistake, innocent or not, parents st him down for a serious talking to, kid takes responsibility for his mistake, works off monetary loss, apologises, learns valuable lesson. Everyone lives happily ever after. No back-talk from the kid, no nasty, mouthy retorts to the accompaniment of a laugh track. Parents were respected, in control, they doled out advice & rules with a firm, even hand. Kids respected the adults & were held accountable for their actions. And, I repeat: Parents were in control.

Today what passes for family sitcoms make me sick. Parents are potrayed as out of control, ditsy idiots, kids run the house, seemingly with no chores or homework, the lessons to be learned are usually by the parent who stupidly, sheepishly grins into the camera as if to say "Whaddaya gunna do? Kids these days!", followed by a laugh track with the smirking, full of themselves, little minions from h*ll standing in the background plotting their next "adventure".

How can any parent, who grew up in the days of the former scene, watch a sitcom today that demonstrates, for their own children, such blatant disrespect for elders? Parents, where is your self respect?

[ecuadoriana]

(continued from above)
I'm not suggesting we retreat to the do-goody, white is right, days of TV fantasyland (where blacks are only portyayed as porters, maids & minstrels), but we would do better as a society to reconsider what we are allowing to influence our children, but most importantly- ourselves as parents. When did parents stop being parents & why? When did we not only allow ourselves to be portrayed as dolts, but to begin acting as dolts?

When Robert Young sat the kids down for a serious talk, they did not respond with "Don't have a cow, dad!" It was with a sincere, "Yes, sir."

[ecuadoriana]

It IS an oxymoron, Kailumego1. I truly believe that the military powers that be actually BANK on the truth that 18 yr olds do not posess the cognative ability to distinguish right from wrong. 18 yr olds in the general popultion still live at home with mom & dad helping them along to make decisions ("Hey why don't you go get a job?!" "Hey why haven't you filled out those college applications yet?!"). 18 yr olds are living in college dorms, with RAs & guidance counselors helping to lead the way. In other words, 18 yr olds still seek out & need someone to tell them what to do (even while seeming to rebel, which is part of the process towards autonomy). And that's where the military steps in. Kids needing to be told what to do are easier to mould than trying to tell a 40 yr old married man, with kids, a house & a career to drop what he's doing, pick up a machine gun & risk his life to fight in a war that has nothing to do with his life. But an 18 yr old? That's easier "Hey kid, you can get paid, get an education, a career & travel all at the same time just for signing up!" Sounds like a deal to a kid who wants to get out of the house.

[kailumego1]

There are those that argue if an 18 year old is responsible enough to fight in a war, he/she should be allowed to drink alcohol. Because, after all, if this government can entrust, in his/her hands, the responsibility of actively taking the life of another, assuming he/she can make a rational decision, then the same rule should apply to %u201Cdrinking%u201D. I personally, don't see either, but, if this government has no problem recruiting 18 year olds, fully realizing their cognitive processes is often problematic, when it comes to reasoning, judgment, and making sound rational decisions. Young adults under the age of 25 commit most violent crimes, of which, a majority of these crimes are committed by ages 20 or less. So, how can you say on the one hand, 18 year olds are capable enough to fight in the war, but, on the other, they are too irresponsible to drink alcohol, sounds like a oxymoron.

[ecuadoriana]

idunkwn41 wrote: "I try not to give my kids advise[sic] I give them options...if you do this, it could be this, you decide..."

Are you suggesting that when you give your child options (which I believe is a mistake; in parenting there is no negotiating, rules & privledges evolve as the child evolves) & spell out the consequences, that if your child chooses to do something that YOUR gut instinct tells you is wrong, you let him do it, even if it means bailing him out of jail or identifying him at the morgue? (continued)

[ecuadoriana]

I'm frightened by the potential scenerio- "Mom can Billy & I drink beer in the basement? We'll be safe under your roof." You respond: "Well, Bobby you know the consequences of underage drinking. We've discussed this before. Are you sure this is what you really want to do?" "Sure mom, it's cool & Billy's parents said it's ok with them if it's ok with you." And there you have it- 2 teens drinking in the basement &: they find the gun cabinet; Billy gets so wasted that he gets suicidal; both start thinking it'd be cool to call up some girls on the cellphone & sneek them in the house, or whatever, because anything is possible once you start drinking & lose perception of right & wrong.

I'm not saying that this is how YOUR kids would behave. I'm just saying that it's a parent's duty to say "No" & stick to it. It's good practice for later years when the kid applys for a job & is told "No" or asks for Sat. night off & is told by the boss "No" & "No" to the raise because he keeps expecting everyone to give into his demands because he never learned that sometimes there are people above us, with more authority (parents, teachers, bosses, police) who get to call the shots who earned that privledge. And in time, if he keeps his nose out of trouble, manages his time well, takes personal responsibility & always strives to do his very best with no excuses, then maybe he'll live long enough to call the shots with his own kids.

[jamdowner1]

ecuadoriana, you are right on the button. Kids don't need pals they need parents and they'd be the first to agree. It sickens me to see some members of my congregation play this game with their kids not realising that their own children lose respect for them.

As a pastor in England I have to constantly contend with parents who have this 'touchy feely' mindset who can't understand why their children don't take them seriously.

I still find it shocking to hear the 'choice' language teens will talk to their parents and these are church kids!

I couldn't even think about saying those words to my father. Children need boundaries and those boundaries come from parents, not 'friends'.

[idunkwn41]

eduadoriana, I personally can say I am both a friend and a parent to my children, I set the example to the way I expect them to behave by the way I behave. I don't have or go to parties and if I drink at home it is with in limits
Yes my kids mess up, all kids do...
It doesn't matter how 'tuff' you are on your kids or how soft you are they are going to do things you think they will "never" do just because they are kids, The important thing is they know they can talk to you about ANYTHING and you will not judge them but be there to help them should they need it. I try not to give my kids advise I give them options instead, if you do this the result could be this... but if you do this, it could be this, you decide....
I want them to know they can trust me I would rather them come to me they their friends...

[rickmiller99]

Are our laws are sending mixed messages? We allow 18 year olds to join the military and go to war. How many young adults under the age of 21 have died in Iraq. They are adults in capital crimes. We can't have it both ways. You are either an adult at the age of 18 or you are not. The drinking age should be lowered and the penalties for drinking and driving should be increased. If they are old enough to make life and death decisions in Iraq, they are old enough to make choices about alcohol.

[ecuadoriana]

This goes straight to the "I want to be my kid's best friend" mentality. Parents are supposed to be tough on kids & say "No"- that's their job. Being a "friend" with your kids is irresponsible. To allow them to engage in illegal activity (&, like it or not, underage drinking is illegal) in your home, or not, is bad parenting plain & simple.

Parents are supposed to be role models, the voice of reason, the people the kid turns to when the decisions are hard to make on his own. If parents allow their kids to engage in illegal activity, like drinking, then where is the line drawn? Next it's ok to smoke pot in the house with the parents? Snort coke? Fence stolen property? Dad & son watch porn together? Where does it end? When your kid starts hanging out with other "adults" who are also encouraging him to drink & smoke pot?

Parents, wake up!!! These are your children, not your "little buddies"! As an adult, I know I am not responsible for the actions of my adult friends. They are on their own if they want to screw up. But, as a parent, I AM responsible for my kid's actions.

If the stage isn't set correctly before the start of the play, the actors are at a loss of what to do. If the director has slacked on the job of directing the cast then the actors struggle with improv to get through the performance. Being a good parent isn't just a performance, it is your kid's life- or his untimely death.