Teenager, Mom Facing Charges After House Party Grows Out Of Control In Upper Uwchlan
UPPER UWCHLAN TOWNSHIP, Pa.(CBS) – An out-of-hand party in Chester County lands dozens of juveniles in trouble for underage drinking. Now, the party host – and his mother – are facing charges.
It was an Upper Uwchlan Township house party that grew to 57 people, according to the criminal complaint. Nineteen-year-old Tommy Nguyen was arrested and so was his mother, 48-year-old Laura Nguyen, and both are facing misdemeanor charges. But the teenager says his mom shouldn't be held responsible.
"I just got home from work. I told my mom I was having a couple people over, probably 10 to 15 kids," Tommy Nguyen said, "and it definitely got more populated. My mom was upstairs. My parents were upstairs sleeping and she just thought I had a couple friends over."
Nguyen told Eyewitness News it was only supposed to be a small gathering, but once word spread, people he didn't even know showed up.
"Right when the alcohol came," he said, "I guess the police showed up, they said they smelled marijuana."
According to the affidavit, 57 people were in the basement – all under the age of 21 having access to alcohol.
Nearby residents say for a quiet neighborhood, they were surprised to see so many police squad cars.
"All of a sudden, two Upper Uwchlan police came screaming up behind us with the lights on and then they turned them off and they pulled in," Jack Morrison, a resident, said. "Then I saw two other townships come up from the other direction."
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Nguyen said the main reason he held the party was to meet new people, but it came at a price.
Now he hopes his mother won't have to pay it either.
"I don't want her to be liable of the party that I hosted," he said.
Both are facing charges of furnishing or selling liquor to minors.