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After-Prom Party Busted By Ohio Investigative Unit
By: WOUB Contributing Writer
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The talk of one community is all about a big bust at an after-prom party that left more than a dozen underage kids facing charges.
But the surprising thing about this is who made the bust.
Agents from the Ohio Investigative Unit swooped in on Saturday and arrested 16 people.
“It was crazy,” Jordan Potter said.
“I kind of thought it was just people talking and blowing it out of proportion.”
State agents busted an after-prom party filled with dozens of underage kids – and they say a lot of alcohol.
The Ohio Investigative Unit says it found out about the party through an anonymous tip.
They didn't have an address, but they say it wasn't too hard to find.
All they had to do was drive by a house along Ohio 335 where they said they saw plenty of underage kids outside drinking.
Fifteen people were charged with underage consumption, and a 42-year-old woman was accused of providing the kids a place to drink and allowing them to possess the alcohol.
The community was quick to react.
“They're not happy about it,” Potter said.
“It's a small town, and it prides itself on its small town school and community.”
Nearly a decade ago, one mom took it upon herself to try and keep things like this from happening. She organized a school-approved after prom party– complete with door prizes.
“They loved it,” Paula McGraw said. “Anytime you get a group of kids with their friends, they're going to enjoy it, and it was clean fun, and the kids could not leave without their parents permission.”
Since Paula's kids graduated, other parents have carried on the tradition to help keep students out of trouble.
The hope in Minford is that a lesson will be learned.
“They'll have to at least weigh the options,” Potter said.
“Will it stop everything totally? Probably not. But it'll have to be in the back of their minds.”
This article was contributed by WSAZ.com in Huntington, WV.