66 citations issued at weekend party

Ian Mayer Arizona Daily Wildcat Empty cups and beer bottles were all that remained after a house party early Sunday morning at 749 E. Speedway Blvd.

Police noticed several people, many visibly underage, drinking along the sidewalk in the 700 Block of East Speedway Boulevard, prompting officers from the Southern Arizona DUI Task Force to crash the party shortly after midnight, said Task Force Coordinator Carlos Valdez, a Tucson Police Department lead officer.

Police cited 66 people between the ages of 17 and 20 on charges of minors consuming spirituous liquor, Valdez said.

Officers from several law enforcement agencies surrounded about 150 people and were able to corral a majority of them behind the house's 6-foot high fence, Valdez said.

Police then stood at the gate and gave citations as people exited the party, he said. Everyone arrested, most of them University of Arizona students, were released at the scene. Valdez said many were told to walk home.

Also, police posted a notice of public nuisance sticker on the house's front door stating the proprietors can not host another party for 60 days, Valdez said.

Two UA students renting the house that hosted the party were each charged with one count of furnishing alcohol to a minor.

A third UA student who lives at the house said he was out of town and surprised when he came home to find the public nuisance sticker posted on the door.

None of the residents would comment further yesterday or give their names.

Valdez said busting the party contributed to the Task Force's objective of keeping the streets safe during the Labor Day weekend.

"By giving out the citations, we prevented 66 impaired drivers from being on the road that night, he said.