Morristown High School students charged with underage drinking on party bus
Thirty people were charged with underage drinking after police stopped a party bus carrying Morristown High School students after the prom. In total 58 people were issued summonses after Bergen County police stopped the bus in East Rutherford on June 12. The bus was returning the students from New York City and, according to police, had alcohol on board. On Wednesday, 30 students and others entered a plea of not guilty in the Bergen County Central Municipal Court. The defendants denied drinking and stated that breathalyzer tests were not administered. Also, three employees of the bus company have plead not guilty to charges of serving alcohol to minors.
Criminal charges for underage possession of alcohol are governed by N.J.S.A. 2C:33-15 which provides:
§ 2C:33-15. Possession, consumption of alcoholic beverages by persons under legal age; penalty
a. Any person under the legal age to purchase alcoholic beverages who knowingly possesses without legal authority or who knowingly consumes any alcoholic beverage in any school, public conveyance, public place, or place of public assembly, or motor vehicle, is guilty of a disorderly persons offense, and shall be fined not less than $ 500.00.
b. Whenever this offense is committed in a motor vehicle, the court shall, in addition to the sentence authorized for the offense, suspend or postpone for six months the driving privilege of the defendant. Upon the conviction of any person under this section, the court shall forward a report to the Division of Motor Vehicles stating the first and last day of the suspension or postponement period imposed by the court pursuant to this section. If a person at the time of the imposition of a sentence is less than 17 years of age, the period of license postponement, including a suspension or postponement of the privilege of operating a motorized bicycle, shall commence on the day the sentence is imposed and shall run for a period of six months after the person reaches the age of 17 years.
