A Lookout Mountain, Tn., couple has been charged with reckless endangerment and contributing to the delinquency of a minor in connection with a party at their home that involved teen drinking and resulted in two youths being transported to the hospital.
Police said several 16-year-olds were heavily intoxicated at the Fort Stephenson Place residence and a boy was nearly unconscious. An ambulance was summoned to the scene.
Charged were William Clee Haisten III and his wife, Marcella Caruso Haisten, both 47.
An officer said he was out patrolling the Fort Stephenson area on Saturday around 11:45 p.m. when he saw a large number of vehicles on both sides of the road. He said it became a concern whether a fire truck would be able to make it down the road.
The officer said he found that the right side of the road was completely filled up with vehicles with two vehicles obstructing the oncoming lane of traffic so that a fire truck would not have been able to get through.
The officer said he came upon a juvenile coming from 156 Fort Stephenson Place. He said he asked the teen if he could locate the host of the party. He said he returned with William Haisten.
The officer said Mr. Haisten walked with them surveying the multiple cars along the road.
He said at the end of the Haisten driveway he noticed a closed can of Miller Lite and then saw an identical one further down the road. Mr. Haisten said his son had assured him there would be no drinking at the party.
The officer said, due not to be able to identify who had used the cans, he emptied the two cans in the yard and gave them to Mr. Haisten to throw away.
He said he and another officer then saw multiple cans of alcohol on the back of a black Ford F-150 truck. He said there were 4-5 cans as well as a small glass liquor bottle - all empty on the bumper.
The officer said they found multiple empty cans in the wood line next to the pickup by the vehicle. There was also a red backpack lying open with numerous empty alcohol cans and liquor bottles next to an adjacent white Toyota 4Runner.
A teen then walked up, saying he was the owner of the F-150. He said he did not know who the cans and bottles belonged to.
The officer said, "This piqued our interest as to what this party of juveniles may be involving."
He said they then saw a teen walk from the party stumbling from side to side along the road and unable to keep his balance. About this time, multiple youths began to leave the house and head toward the vehicles.
The officer said the youth who was stumbling began to vomit on the road and on himself. The officer said the teen was heavily intoxicated so he immediately requested a med unit to come to the scene. One youth helped the officers to tend to the teen who was throwing up.
Officers spoke with as many youths as they could as they left the party en masse, and they all gave their ages as 16.
The officers said they checked out teens from the party on whether it appeared they were in shape to drive. They were each limited to one passenger based on their restricted drivers licenses.
A police captain was also summoned to the scene, and he was told by a group of juveniles that they had been drinking at the party.
It was told to the officers that the cans and bottles on the F-150 belonged to a female who was passed out on a couch in the home. Police then went into the house and found Marcella Haisten tending to the girl on the couch in a downstairs area of the home. The girl's mother then came and said she would get medical care for her.
The police captain then located a male juvenile who was nearly unconscious next to a fire burn pit in the back yard. A medic began tending to him, while another worked with the youth who had been stumbling in the road. Both teens were transported to Children's Hospital.
Police said while at the hospital the academic dean of McCallie School, Chris Carpenter, arrived and confirmed the boys were McCallie boarding students. Custody of the two boys was turned over to Mr. Carpenter.
Police said based on the evidence at the scene that the Haistens "were fully aware of the juveniles' alcohol consumption and contributing to the delinquency of all attending minors. These actions contributed to the reckless endangerment of all attendees and especially those of which had to be transported to the hospital."