Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis discusses house parties shared over social media.
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis weighed in on the criminal charges against a Northern Virginia couple whose teen party drew hundreds of people, calling large youth gatherings "universally a bad idea" even when parents have good intentions, while officials confirmed the minor at the center of the case is 13 years old.
What we know:
Lisa Vaughan, 45, and Aubrey Vaughan, 55, are charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and maintaining a common nuisance following a Nov. 6 gathering at their home in the 1400 block of Woodacre Drive in McLean.
Police said they received multiple 911 calls around 9 p.m. reporting 100 to 300 people at the property. Arriving officers found a large crowd with fireworks going off and worked to safely disperse everyone from the area.
At the briefing, police confirmed the minor involved in the case is 13 years old. The Vaughans turned themselves in to police and were each released on a $1,000 bond.
What they're saying:
During a news conference, FOX 5 DC asked Davis about the McLean case and what message he has for parents who try to "meet their kid halfway" by hosting gatherings at home.
Davis, a father of four, acknowledged the "conundrum" parents face when deciding whether to let their kids go out unsupervised or host a gathering at home to keep an eye on them. While he said he applauds parents trying to create a safe environment, he warned that keeping out alcohol, drugs and other contraband is easier said than done because teenagers are "very resourceful."
"I think it's universally a bad idea to host anything at a home – whether it's single family, or apartment, or town house, or condominium – that involves too many people for a given environment, that involves alcohol and drugs and that involves, on occasion, driving behaviors that are reckless and dangerous," Davis said.
Davis said police are not against parents trying to do the right thing, even when a decision "spirals and grows and gets embellished and exaggerated and all of a sudden creates a harmful situation for the community." Still, he emphasized that "parents have to be parents" and "adults have to be adults."
The Vaughans maintain their innocence. Their attorney, Alaric Piette, told FOX 5 DC the couple only intended to let their two middle school-aged sons invite 10 to 20 classmates over for a gathering where bags and alcohol were explicitly banned on the invitation.
According to Piette, the boys sent the invite to friends, but it was shared with other students and eventually circulated at a local high school. Piette said the couple was suddenly overwhelmed when older teens they did not know showed up trespassing in their cul-de-sac.
Piette said the couple tried to keep people out of their backyard and home, welcomed officers when they arrived and invited police inside to check the party area – an offer he said officers declined. He added that the couple spoke with their children afterward about the risks of sharing information on social media and were surprised when police called the next morning asking them to turn themselves in.
"They wanted to maintain a safe place, free from alcohol, for kids to have a good time, but they had no control about all the kids that arrived and caused chaos in their neighborhood," Piette said.
What we don't know:
Authorities have not announced any charges against the uninvited guests or teenagers who showed up at the property.
During Davis's press conference, he also floated the idea of partnering with Fairfax County Public Schools and Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid, along with school resource officers, on a public safety messaging campaign to remind families that "a good intention can result in disastrous consequences." The campaign has not been confirmed by officials.
The Source: This article was written using information from the Fairfax County Police Department and original FOX 5 DC reporting.