[Portions of this article were published July 22. It has been updated with new information and corrects an error in the July 31st print edition – notably, a handgun recovered at the scene was not flagged as stolen.]
Gladewater Police Department investigators say they’re steadily closing in on the organizers of an unauthorized, underground, underage house party on Lake Gladewater.
Scores of teenagers descended on an unoccupied home on Lake Gladewater July 18-19, leaving empty booze containers and a pile of questions in their wake. Charges are incoming.
According to multiple sources, the illegal house party began with a social media invite and ended in multiple calls to 911. GPD ultimately broke up the gathering early Sunday morning, and the East Lake Drive homeowner first learned of it later that afternoon. Two juveniles were detained that day and handgun was recovered in a neighboring yard. Out of as many as 100 attendees Saturday – there was a smaller gathering on Friday – the two youths were referred to Upshur County juvenile probation as GPD pursues a larger investigation into the incident and the department’s response.
That’s a sticking point for the homeowner, who would only consent to an interview if no identifying information was included: “It’s unreal.”
According to the man, he and his wife are attempting to sell the house, and they never signed up for the scrutiny that comes with this type of criminal incident.
He has questions though: Why was he not contacted by officers? Why wasn’t the house cleared? Why were attendees allowed to leave and with no citations issued?
“Of course I have questions,” he said. “I want to hold the police accountable. There was a better way to handle this.”
The case remains an active and ongoing investigation, quickly expanding beyond a case of Criminal Trespass of a Habitation. Numerous juveniles (accompanied by their parents) were interviewed last week and more were scheduled the past several days.
“We’re getting close,” GPD Lt. Freddie Fitzgerald said Monday. “We’ve gathered information. We’ve identified numerous kids that were at the party which has led us to some information about who may have conducted the party or put the party on.”
The party was reportedly organized via the social media platform Snapchat, with participants notified of the location about half-an-hour ahead of time.
Multiple attendees told officers the lake house was a rental, but “The residence was not authorized for use, and the property owner did not grant permission for the gathering,” GPD confirmed in a July 22 release. “The residence was unlawfully accessed, and investigators are reviewing reports of additional potential criminal activity.”
That includes one party-goer who brandished the handgun when another young driver apparently scratched his vehicle. After threatening the other youth on the crowded street, the suspect fled on foot from a GPD officer who witnessed the altercation, which was captured on bodycam. The victim left the scene before the officer returned.
Dispatched to the location at 10:57 p.m. July 19, “They were actively clearing the party. That’s why the cars were moving,” Police Chief Kyle Ready said. “At that point, they still believed it to be an Airbnb rental.”
With numerous underage individuals involved and photos from the party being circulated by the homeowner and others on social media, the incident quickly sparked a furious back-and-forth online.
A second home for the family, the lake house is on the market. The homeowners first heard something was up when their realtor dropped by ahead of a viewing and reported trash strewn across the yard. “They got into our house,” the man’s wife said. “Our furniture’s in the yard.”
Calling the police to the scene again, she entered the house with an escort. The two juveniles were discovered soon after, and the cleanup began.
The homeowners said they don’t know why their home was picked or how the party’s organizers gained access. It wasn’t enough to raise suspicions.
“Obviously they cased the place… Our yard service is out here every week. If anything is amiss, he would say something to me. We’ve got good neighbors on both sides of us.”
The man says he’s not looking to prosecute everyone involved, just the organizers who drew the crowd to the property and, allegedly, took an admission fee from the teens who attended.
“Should they have been there? No. Should they have been drinking? No,” he added, but only a fraction of the youths are responsible for getting in and for the mess that was left behind. That said, “If we find the people responsible for breaking and entering and hosting the party, yes,” he’ll pursue charges.
Gladewater PD is awaiting an estimate of the costs of damages from the incident. The homeowner is sharing information with GPD, and the department asks anyone with information on the incident to contact either Fitzgerald or Sgt. David Burrows at 903-845-2166.
“Once the investigation concludes,” GPD reported July 22, “the department will conduct a full internal review of the initial police response to ensure accountability and best practices moving forward.”
Per Fitzgerald, it’s a task just to keep track of the number of interviews he and Burrows are conducting.
Most of the individuals involved were underage, investigators say, ranging from 14 to 20, including local participants and others from Marshall, Avinger, Van Zandt County, Gilmer and elsewhere. Among them was a teenage runaway from Longview who was detained and handed over to Longview PD that night.
There could be four or five perpetrators in the core group.
“We’ll file the appropriate charges as they present themselves,” Burrows said.
The investigators are working with other agencies, including in their efforts to track down the owner of the handgun, which was not flagged as stolen.
“We are actively trying to see who was in possession of the gun,” Ready said. “That’s a pretty serious offense.”
Similar social media-driven incidents have been reported recently elsewhere in East Texas.
“There was talk through our interviews of a party that was going to occur this weekend,” Burrows said Monday. “We weren’t certain of the location, but we did advise the jurisdiction so they could make preparations and take whatever steps they needed to.”
The night of July 19, cars were backed up well into the distance on both sides of the road, a neighbor confirmed, only clearing the way when GPD officers were dispatched to the scene the first time. The party resulted in multiple calls to 911, and the stragglers didn’t clear out until about 3:30 a.m. Sunday.
It wasn’t the only party called into 911 on July 19, a busy Saturday for GPD – officers responded to 38 calls for service, about three times the average.
“The Gladewater Police Department appreciates the community’s cooperation and reminds the public to respect private property and use caution when responding to invitations shared on social media,” according to GPD’s July 22 release. “Protecting our residents and maintaining the safety of our community remain top priorities.”