Half-a-dozen teenage suspects face Class A misdemeanor for house party

Whoever put out the original call on social media, six teenagers will answer for the scores that descended on an East Lake Drive home for an unapproved, underage house party seven weeks ago.
Gladewater Police Department is referring six juveniles to the Upshur County District Attorney’s office this week. Each will face a charge of Class A Criminal Trespass of a Habitation after they allegedly drew about 100 teens from across the area to an unoccupied lake house Saturday, July 19.
The incident spawned multiple calls to 911, underage drinking and driving, a sprawling mess and someone being threatened with a handgun, which was abandoned on site when the suspect fled. Social media erupted when teenage attendees’ pictures were posted to local feeds by the former homeowner.
GPD investigators aimed to bring in their final suspect Tuesday after coordinating with all the youths’ parents and wrapping up the case for consideration by Upshur DA Billy Byrd.
“We’re doing a referral on four additional juveniles right now. There are going to be a grand total of six that will be charged,” GPD Chief Kyle Ready said Monday. “We don’t have them all in yet, but we’re in contact with the parents, and they’re all coming in.”
It wasn’t the first (or last) illegal gathering of the type here or elsewhere in the area – organizers reportedly used Snapchat to blast out an invitation and price of admission.
GPD’s investigators, Lt. Freddie Fitzgerald and Sgt. David Burrows, ultimately narrowed the broad field to a core group of teens, Ready confirmed. The early pool included adult suspects, as well, but weeks of interviews and leads culled the number.
“The further we dug, it turns out they were not the people who started the party,” he said, just juveniles. “They’ve worked on this thing a month-and-a-half now. It’s all culminated to this. We don’t have any other leads, actually.”
The home was on the market at the time of the party and has since sold while the investigation was still underway. Final consequences for the juvenile suspects are in the DA’s hands.