Letter says teens vandalized house

Marisa O’Neil

Corona del Mar High School parents are wondering what really happened

at a party after they received an anonymous letter claiming that

alcohol-fueled teenagers trashed an elderly couple’s home.

The unsigned letter, received by many Corona del Mar parents over

the weekend, claims that more than 300 students attended an April 30

party at a Newport Coast home. Police detained two students in

connection with the party, including one for the theft of a

plasma-screen television, which was later returned, Newport Beach

Sgt. Bill Hartford said.

The letter also alleges that students were in a disabled woman’s

bedroom, blowing marijuana smoke in her face. Police could not say

whether that took place because it was not reported to officers at

the time, Hartford said.

Though the party happened more than a month ago, the letter --

sent to parents listed in the Corona del Mar High School directory --

brought it to the attention of many who hadn’t heard about it. And it

serves as a reminder for parents to be mindful of where their

children are and what they’re doing, especially with graduation

parties coming up, Hartford said.

“At this time of year, there’s a propensity for teenage drinking,”

he said. “I think that was the big push with this letter.”

And it has people talking.

Concerned parents have called the school with questions about the

incident, Principal Bob Metz said.

“It’s a police matter,” Metz said, “but there are always concerns

for the behavior of kids.”

Fliers, e-mails and a website advertised the party, thrown by

teenage children of a caretaker who worked in the elderly couple’s

home, police said. The children’s mother -- who cares for a woman in

her 70s who is confined to a bed -- was not home at the time, police

said.

One of the homeowners’ cars, with a pass to get into the gated

community, ferried partygoers from a nearby parking lot into the

home, Hartford said.

The elderly woman’s husband had gone to get something to eat and

returned to find the party going on, the letter says.

“Upon returning he found, by police estimates, 300-plus kids

inside/outside his home,” the letter reads.

“Inside, his home was in the process of being vandalized.

Furniture was upended and broken. Alcohol and drugs were

everywhere.... Some of his personal belongings were sitting in the

bottom of his pool,” the letter reads.

The house was vandalized by partygoers and alcohol and drugs were

found at the scene, Hartford said. They detained two boys: a

15-year-old who attempted to run from police, and a 17-year-old

suspected of public intoxication, Hartford said.

A television was stolen from the home during the party, Hartford

said. A school resource officer at Corona del Mar High School

investigated the theft and detained the same 17-year-old boy who was

stopped at the party.

The theft case and the case of the boy who allegedly fled are with

the county probation department, which will decide whether to file

charges, Hartford said.

Large parties of high school students aren’t unusual, Hartford

said.

The police department offers drug and alcohol education programs

for teenagers, including one for those charged with minor offenses,

he said. But parents also have to do their part to talk with their

children and know where they are, he said.

* MARISA O’NEIL covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4618 or by e-mail at marisa.oneil @latimes.com.