Drunken driving carries consequences for Northwest Arkansas students

Cesar Velasquez lost a young friend in a car accident last year. His friend was a passenger. The driver was drunk.

Drunken driving affects more than the person who makes the decision to drive, it hurts family and friends, said Velasquez, a senior at Springdale High School.

"Someone's life was taken," he said.

Drinking alcohol and driving is common year-round for high school students who attend parties, Velasquez said. Prom and graduation, however, are just two more opportunities to party and drink.

Steve Jacoby, principal at Fayetteville High School, said he sees it as part of his responsibility to inform students about the risks of drinking alcohol and driving. Officials sent a letter home to parents Friday reminding them to speak with their children about the dangers. Fayetteville High School's prom is tonight.

"We want kids to be responsible, and we have a responsibility to see what we can do to assist," he said.

Planting a Seed

Not drinking and driving should be common sense, Velasquez said. Many people, however, need reminders.

Pete Joenks, principal at Springdale High School, said it's about creating a mindset and "planting a seed" in the students' heads not to drink alcohol, then drive. Officials at the school work with the student council and other organizations to put on lunch time events about drunken driving. They will also ask students to take pledges not to drink and drive and give them a bracelet in return.

Education about the risks of drunken driving is important, because school officials don't have a lot of control over students' actions once they leave campus or an event, Joenks said. Consequences at most local schools for drinking alcohol on campus can range from a warning to expulsion.

The Springdale Police Department and Springdale Fire Department plan to help with an awareness event at Har-Ber High School on April 30, said Lt. Derek Hudson, public information officer with the police department. The event is coordinated by students in the school's Environmental and Spatial Technology program.

The event will happen during lunch, Hudson said. Officials will talk to students about drunken driving and distracted driving. There will also be a crashed car on display, Hudson said.

Seeing a wrecked car in person could cause students to think more about the risk of drinking and driving, Hudson said. That could save their lives.

Students at Fayetteville High School organize an event each year called "Shattered Dreams," Jacoby said. Students usually act out a car wreck in which the injured have to be cut from the vehicle by firefighters. This year there was only a crashed car on display at he school because of scheduling difficulties.

The event usually features a fake recorded 911 call, a party scene and students acting out a car accident, said Deanna Easton, dean of students and small learning community director at the school. The event always happens before prom.

Students had a crashed car set up along Bulldog Boulevard on Thursday. It's meant to symbolize a drunken driving accident.

Schools in Rogers and Bentonville have held similar events in past years, according to officials. The Rogers Fire Department has provided crashed cars in the past, said Ashley Siwiec, communications director for the Rogers School District.

Resource officers at Bentonville High School hold assemblies about drunken driving every year before prom, said Steve Vera, resource officer at the school. Officers also worked with students last year to create an awareness video, said Capt. John Hubbard of the Bentonville Police Department.

Consequences

Teens who decide to drink alcohol, then drive, could face consequences from the police, Hudson said. Minors, classified as under 21 years old, are treated differently for alcohol-related offenses than juveniles, who are classified as under 18 years old.

A juvenile can receive a misdemeanor charge for driving while intoxicated if his blood alcohol concentration is 0.02 percent or higher, Hudson said. All that can take is one beer.

"Keep in mind that that's not much," he said.

Police are required to contact a juvenile's parent and give the juvenile a breath-alcohol test. The juvenile would then either be taken to a juvenile detention center or released to his parent with a court date to follow. Police don't take fingerprints or mugshots of juveniles unless they are arrested for a violent crime, Hudson said.

A minor can receive a misdemeanor charge for driving while intoxicated if his blood alcohol concentration is 0.08 percent or higher, Hudson said.

"It's just enough to slow down your reaction time," he said.

A minor is 18 years old or older, so he would be treated as an adult, Hudson said. The person would be fingerprinted and photographed. The person would then be detained and a bond would be set.

Both minors and juveniles could lose their driver's licenses depending on a court decision, said Keith Foster, public information officer for the Rogers Police Department.

Jacoby said he has been told before, though rarely, when a student was arrested for driving while intoxicated. The situation is usually between the student and the parent.

Keeping Watch

Resource police officers attend proms in Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville and Fayetteville, according to police officials. Officers can stop students before they get into cars if they are intoxicated, Hudson said.

Joenks said officers will watch students who enter the event to see if their actions reflect alcohol use.

Police in Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville and Fayetteville don't specifically track the number of students arrested after prom and graduation for drunken driving, according to police officials.

"I don't think it's totally common," Hubbard said. "Do we get some? Yes."

Hubbard also said that arrests for driving while intoxicated are more common among adults.

Officials are more "fearful" of students drinking and driving after prom than after graduation, because prom is generally at night, Hudson said.

"It's more of a party atmosphere," he said.

The parent teacher organization at Bentonville High School organizes an after prom party each year, Vera said. It will be held at Fast Lanes Entertainment this year, and prizes are given out as an incentive for students to attend. The party usually attracts 500 to 600 students and lasts until 2 a.m.

Some local high schools hold an event referred to as Project Graduation. Students who graduate from Fayetteville High School can stay overnight at the Fayetteville Boys and Girls Club from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., Jacoby said. Both high schools in Rogers also have the program, where graduates will go straight from graduation and stay until morning, Siwiec said.

"It's to give them a fun, safe way to celebrate graduation," she said.

NW News on 04/11/2015