Drunken Teens Prompt Shut Down of High School Dance

A dance for high school students at Arch Street, the town’s teen center, had to be shut down last weekend after a group of drunken teens who showed up had to be taken to .

According to spokesman Lt. Kraig Gray, two off-duty police officers hired for an extra-duty detail to work outside the center located at 100 Arch St. on Saturday, “one female came to the officers’ attention as extremely intoxicated.” He said the officers saw a “total of six juveniles who were believed to be under alcohol intoxication at the minimum” at about 9 p.m. They summoned Greenwich Emergency Medical Services (GEMS) and additional officers.

The center was hosting the “Pink” dance for high school students, which, according to Gray, drew about 450 people.

Art Romano, deputy director of GEMS, told Greenwich Patch, “five adolescents from the teen center were taken to Greenwich Hospital” where they were evaluated and treated and released. “They were awake and alert … there was nothing life-threatening,” Romano said. “They were released after treatment,” Romano added.

A message left Thursday evening for teen center director Kyle Silver was not returned.

Gray said the intoxicated teens were 15-years-old. Four of the teens are local students and another apparently was visiting from out-of-town, Gray said. He said, “A preliminary investigation (by the Greenwich Police Special Victims Section) was conducted and it didn’t appear there was any connection … that they were all drunk at the same party and … it doesn’t appear they were drinking at a party but arrive intoxicated at the dance.” Gray added, “This was not a kegger.”

Greenwich Police pulled the plug on the dance. The off-duty officers called in an on-duty shift commander and “they found it to be unsafe. They cleared the teen center in a controlled manner, parents were made aware of the situation and picked up” their children, Gray said.

One teen, who was not identified because of their age, was arrested on a charge of procuring alcohol by a minor. Further details on the arrest were not available. Gray added, “ there is not an indication of any alcohol being seized at the (dance).”

He added police are concerned about the situation because “are these kids not aware we’ve had a couple of overdoses? Are we not getting the teens’ message that maybe we have to do a better job of getting the message out about kids abusing drugs and alcohol?”

In the past month, two Greenwich teens have died in situations that have police investigating the use of alcohol or drugs.