College students and other Athens, Georgia, residents who are under the age of 21 understand that it is illegal for them to drink alcohol. However, they might not realize that they could face burdensome legal, academic and social consequences for underage drinking, even if their actions cause no harm or disruption to others.
For example, a University of Georgia student who fell asleep at an apartment complex was issued two citations over the weekend for public drunkenness and underage drinking. If he has no prior citations on his record, he might not be at risk of facing any serious academic consequences for the criminal offenses. However, he will face legal consequences, including fines, for the charges.
According to The Red and Black, the student was found “passed out” at an apartment complex by an Athens-Clarke County Police officer while the officer was performing normal patrols. The officer noted that the student was sleeping in a “puddle of his own urine.” According to the officer’s report, which was filed early Saturday morning, the student did not wake up when the officer approached the student. The student remained unresponsive, the report states, until Emergency Medical Services arrived to help the student.
When the student finally did wake up, he told the officer that he lived in a dorm and was not sure where he had fallen asleep. The student was suspected of underage drinking and was taken to a local hospital to receive medical treatment. According to the police officer’s report, the student’s mother was informed about the situation. The student did give the officer permission to call his mother.
The underage student’s mother is most likely a little disappointed in her son’s actions. In these types of cases, though, families should first make sure a student’s case is handled appropriately by an experienced criminal defense attorney before parents decide to handle the situation on their own.
Source: The Red and Black, “UGA student found passed out without shoes on,” Cailin O’Brien, Oct. 14, 2012