18 minors are arrested for illegal possession and consumption of alcohol after a large party at the Lake Wawasee Sandbar Sunday evening.
Indiana Conservation Officers received a complaint about the party, reportedly with several teenagers in attendance. When Officers arrived, they saw several violations on five boats tied together.
The following suspects were detained and face charges of illegal possession and consumption of alcohol under the age of 21:
19-year-old Nathan Schrock of Middlebury, 19-year-old Luann Fry of Topek, 20-year-old Daron Lehman of Millersburg, 18-year-old Earl Miller of Topeka, 18-year-old Curtis Lambright of Shipshewana, 19-year-old Gerald Bontrager of Topeka, 18-year-old Jeremy Yoder of Millersburg, 18-year-old Brian Lambright of Shipshewana, 20-year-old Robert Kuhns of Etna Green, 19-year-old Karen Yoder of Topeka, 20-year-old Benjamin Mullet of Shipshewana, 18-year-old Joe Beechy of Middlebury, four 17-year-old juvenile males, a 16-year-old juvenile female, and a 17-year-old juvenile female.
The suspects were issued summons and released to guardians.
The Officers were participating in a national awareness campaign called “Operation Dry Water”. A press release from the Department of Natural Resources says alcohol contributes to over half of Indiana boating related fatalities.
They ask that those operating a motorboat never do so under the influence of alcohol and always wear a US Coast Guard approved personal flotation device.
