Kent Police arrest above-average number of people for underage drinking

Kelli Fitzpatrick

?Kent Police arrested six people for prohibition charges in the early hours of Friday morning. Administrative Lieutenant Jim Prusha said that many arrests for prohibition, which includes underage possession or consumption of alcohol, was “slightly more than average.”

?All six arrests were made within a half mile of the Kent Stage, where a group called I’m Shmacked was hosting a event Thursday night. However, Prusha did not believe the party led to the charges.

?“The police experienced no problems with I’m Shmacked that I am aware of,” Prusha said. “I don’t think there was a relationship between the event and these arrests.”

?A prohibition charge also includes an underage person being under the influence of alcohol in public. It is a first-degree misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of $1,000 and six months in jail. First-time offenders are offered a diversion program to dismiss the charge from their records. Second-time offenders are not offered the diversion program.

Prusha said 300 people were charged with prohibitions in Kent in 2012.

Contact Kelli Fitzpatrick at [email protected].