Providing Alcohol to a Minor in Ohio
My question involves criminal law for the state of: Ohio
My friends told me about a party they had last weekend involving 8 people who were 21+ and one 16 year old. Alcohol was at the party and the 16 year old did consume alcohol, and also had two sexual encounters (petting through clothing and under clothing) while intoxicated with people who are 22 and 24. I have tried to explain to my friends exactly how serious this situation is, and that several laws have been broken, but I have had difficulty coming up with hard facts. The friends who have been arguing with me about law breaking don't seem to care about providing alcohol to a minor, and calm that 16 is the age of consent regardless of how old the other parties are. I'd like to give my friends a wake up call now before anything worse happens. Thank you for your time!
Re: Providing Alcohol to a Minor in Ohio
Quote:
Underage consumption, purchasing or possession of alcohol
The legal drinking age in Ohio for consumption of an alcoholic beverage is 21. Purchasing, possessing or consuming alcohol prior to your 21st birthday is a first-degree misdemeanor. The maximum penalties associated with this offense are six months imprisonment or a $1,000 fine or both. A 20-year-old student, therefore, risks being imprisoned and fined when he/she decides to drink alcohol at a party or elsewhere.
Providing alcohol to an underage person
A person who furnishes alcohol to an underage person is guilty of a first-degree misdemeanor. The maximum penalty associated with this offense is six months imprisonment or $1,000 fine or both. A social host, therefore, risks being fined and imprisoned when he/she furnishes alcohol to a person who is not 21 years of age. Keep in mind that the bigger your party is, the more people there that you don't know, the greater the chance of getting caught and/or charged.
http://partysmart.osu.edu/ohio_laws.asp
If you're looking to give 'em hell about the sex? The age of consent here in Ohio is 16, and the law is silent on age differences between minors who have reached the age of consent and adults.