Early-morning stop leads Houlton officers to underage drinking party

HOULTON, Maine — The report of a pair of young men carrying alcohol through a residential neighborhood last week led local police to the location of an underage drinking party and resulted in charges against the host and 10 of his guests.
    According to Police Chief Butch Asselin, on May 6 at 5:46 a.m. Officers Stephen Nason and Ezekiel Collins were dispatched to the area of Green and South streets to investigate a call where two minors had been observed carrying alcohol. The officers spotted a young man walking south on South Street carrying a case of beer. The subject, identified as Nicholas McIntosh, 20, of Washburn, explained that he had been to a party the previous evening and had been consuming alcohol. He agreed to come to the police department with the officers where he was administered a preliminary breath test which registered a blood alcohol content of 0.219 percent.
McIntosh was issued a summons for illegal possession of liquor by a minor. He advised the officers that he left his cellular phone at the party and Officer Nason agreed to return him to the residence.
The original complainant was contacted by Dispatcher Thomas Milton in an attempt to identify the location where McIntosh had been that evening. Subsequently officers responded to 55 Columbia Street.
As officers approached the residence, Officer Nason observed several underage persons enter a garage and close the door behind them. Empty alcohol containers were observed in the front of the residence. As officers approached the front of the residence, Officer Nason observed several empty alcohol containers on the kitchen table and on a table located in the garage. Officers were greeted by 18-year-old Craig Goodall, who resided at 55 Columbia Street. He informed the officers that he had not been consuming alcohol, he wasn’t having a party and that there wasn’t anyone else inside the residence. Officer Nason was able to make contact with Goodall’s mother who indicated that there wasn’t supposed to be anyone at the residence other than her son. She granted the police permission to enter the residence.
Once inside, officers located 10 underage males whose ages ranged from 17 to 20. Nine of the minors admitted to consuming alcohol. The tenth individual didn’t admit to consuming alcohol but submitted to a preliminary breath test. His blood alcohol content was 0.083 percent. Summoned for illegal possession of alcohol by a minor were: Tyler Swimm, 19, of Montville; Cody Little, 20, of Houlton; Christopher Anderson, 19, of Monticello; Jordan Brown, 18, of Houlton; and Jared Tapley, 20, of Hodgdon.
Three 17-year-olds were brought to the police station where each was summoned for illegal possession of liquor by a minor and released to their parents. Their matters will be forwarded to the Juvenile Intake Officer for disposition.
Joseph McBride, 23, of Montville was charged with trafficking in dangerous knives. He was in possession of a spring-loaded knife.
Goodall was charged with providing a place for minors to possess/consume liquor (misdemeanor). He indicated to the officers that he had between 40-50 people at his party that weekend. The alcohol was allegedly purchased by a truck driver at a local convenience store.
The Houlton Police Department provides a free service to check homeowners’ property in the event they are gone overnight, a weekend or longer and leaving an unsupervised teenager home alone. The program is titled PaCT (Police and Community Together).