Boston Criminal Lawyer Blog
A pool party that was tagged as a fundraiser turned into a spectacle that has been reported on internationally and described as ‘liquor-soaked’ by journalists. As many as fifteen hundred people gathered at a mansion on Mark Lane in Milton, Massachusetts to enjoy a pool party during Labor Day Weekend. Milton Police arrived shortly before 1am on Saturday morning, September 1, 2012. The homeowner, Steve Mathieu, 40, was present. And Deputy Police Chief Charles Paris described the size of the event as “just astounding.” He and five other present officers were able to shut the party down in an orderly fashion with no arrests being made. According to Paris, all of the partiers were 21 years or older and though there were a few noise complaints, most neighbors were simply perturbed with the impossible parking situation.
The event was promoted via twitter and fliers as the “Make it Nasty Pool Party.” Hosts sent out a bevy of brochures to market the gala. The brochures stated that the tickets were $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Guests were able to pre-order bottles of alcohol or use the cash bar at the mansion. The event was jointly presented and promoted by Broz 4 Life and Bed Rock Bros.
Milton’s building and health department are looking into the event as most of the one thousand to fifteen hundred guests were spending their time in the pool house located next to the mansion. That many people crowded together under one roof may have violated a building code and the health department traditionally establishes the occupancy restrictions for the pools.
Officer Paris had stated that Mathieu will likely be summoned to court and charged with serving alcohol without a license. After his initial investigation, that seemed to be the only illegal activity at the event. The license needed can only be provided by the local licensing authority.
According to mass.gov, the local licensing authorities may issue special licenses (1-day licenses) for the sale of wines and/or malt beverages to any entity, but the sale of all alcoholic beverages can only be issued to non-profit organizations. The only other restrictions stated on the website claim that the local licensing authorities cannot provide licenses to any person for more than a total of 30 days per calendar year, to any person that has an on premise license application pending, or to any premises that already has an alcoholic beverage license. And specifically for Milton, the license application only costs the filling out of a single-page form and $50. So perhaps Mathieu’s lack of license was a mere oversight. I’ll post any new information that may come about from this story, but try to keep this little tidbit in mind if you plan on throwing an “astounding” pool party. And remember … I also love invitations to “astounding” parties.
In the meantime, if you, or anybody who may be close to you, has any questions, concerns, or need for counsel in regards to a criminal matter, please feel to contact Altman and Altman at any time.
Sources:
http://www.mass.gov/abcc/licensing.htm
http://www.townofmilton.org/Public_Documents/F0000FCFC/BOS/SEForms/Liquor%20License.pdf
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2200459/Police-break-huge-Make-Nasty-mansion-pool-party-1-500-revelers.html?ITO=1490
