75 WILL FACE PARTY CHARGES

66 Collegiate students, 9 parents involved; investigation continues

Sixty-six students and nine parents will be prosecuted in connection with a
June 5 party in Goochland County for Collegiate School graduates,
authorities said yesterday.

Charlottesville Commonwealth's Attorney Warner D. "Dave" Chapman, who has
been appointed special prosecutor in the case, outlined the planned charges
in a brief statement released yesterday.

He said they relate to "the underage possession of alcohol by individuals
who attended the party and consumed alcohol; the adults who aided and
abetted the illegal consumption of alcohol by underage attendees; and, in
one instance, contributing to the delinquency of minor attendees."

"Because the investigation is continuing, further comment will be declined
at this time," Chapman said. He did not say when the charges will be filed.

Chapman was appointed after his

Goochland counterpart, Edward K. Carpenter, identified himself as a
potential witness because of a personal phone call he received from someone
at the party after deputies arrived.

The Goochland Sheriff's Office and the state Department of Alcoholic
Beverage Control are assisting with the investigation.

Sheriff James Agnew was only slightly more specific than Chapman. Agnew
said the charges are being planned against 54 adult students, 12 juvenile
students and nine parents. Even through the adult students to be charged
are at least 18 years old, they are under the legal age for buying or
drinking alcoholic beverages.

The party was held at Tuckahoe Plantation, the boyhood home of Thomas
Jefferson, where attorney Addison B. "Tad" Thompson serves as resident
manager. The property is owned by his family. His son, Addison B. Thompson
Jr. was one of 110 Collegiate School seniors who graduated the morning of
June 5.

Ninety of the graduates attended the party, and five kegs of beer were on
hand, sources said. The kegs were seized by six Goochland deputies who
responded to a complaint shortly after midnight. The deputies also
administered 90 breath tests on the young partygoers and determined 68 had
consumed alcohol.

The breath tests registered up to 0.20 that night, according to law
enforcement officials. A young person who registers 0.02 or higher is
considered to have consumed alcohol, said Sgt. Mike Randell of the Richmond
Police Department. Virginia's legal limit to be considered drunk while
driving is 0.08.

The contributing-to-the-delinquency charge apparently stems from the
purchase of the beer. When kegs are bought, the purchaser must sign a
permit stating that no one under 21 will be served.

The permit normally is a public document, but in this case the name on the
permit has been withheld as part of the investigation, said the ABC's
Jennifer Farinholt.

The pending charges against students and parents of the Henrico
County-based school come against a background of pro-active substance abuse
education at Collegiate, Henrico Commonwealth's Attorney Toby Vick said.
Vick is a frequent speaker at Collegiate on drug and alcohol abuse.

"Collegiate has been very active as a school about alcohol and drug use
among kids. They're at the forefront of schools trying to deal with it," he
said. "They don't turn a blind eye to the problem that I think exists in
every school.

"They're candid, up front and deal with the problem," Vick said.

Dr. Beverly Sgro, interim headmaster of the 83-year-old private school,
said the party was not school-sanctioned.

Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)