UD police cracking down on underage drinking this weekend

University of Dayton Police are cracking down on partying and underage drinking this weekend just two weeks after a sting by a state agency resulted in the arrest of 23 students.

The crack down also comes as two recent alcohol-related incidents — one that led to the death of a student and another involving a spike in hospitalizations of students — were reported at Miami University.

On Friday, UD students received an email warning them there will be an “increased staff and police presence” in student neighborhoods on Saturday to better ensure safety.

The heightened police presence is in response to recently increased instances of “high-risk drinking, lack of civility with university staff, police officers and each other, damage to property, disorderly conduct and personal injury,” according to the email obtained by this news organization.

“We ask for your cooperation as we work to provide a safe environment for all community members,” officials said in the email, which was signed by vice president for student development William Fischer and UD police chief Rodney Chatman.

Credit: Chris Stewart

Credit: Chris Stewart

Chatman was unavailable for interviews Friday.

UD students living in the south student neighborhood, who were drinking outside their homes Friday afternoon, said they were not worried about the crackdown. They said when police break up large parties, they often make people leave who were not invited to a party in the first place.

“They’ll stop here sometimes,” said a student who declined to provide his name. “As long as you respect them it’s never going to be a problem.”

Police will be dispersing large crowds, citing underage drinking and enforcing occupancy limits, according to the email.

The email also asked concerned students to contact the department of public safety at 937-229-2121.

The crackdown comes just a few weeks after 23 UD students were arrested for underage drinking in a sting by the Ohio Division of Liquor Control.

On Feb. 2, Ohio Investigative Units arrested seven people at Romer’s Bar, located at 1511 Brown St., and 16 people at El Rancho Grande, located at 1200 Brown St. near the university.

Agents targeted the two Brown Street businesses near UD because of previous complaints of underage individuals using fake IDs, said Adam Johnson, an agent-in-charge of the OIU Cincinnati District.

Misdemeanor charges of underage sale of alcohol were filed earlier this week in Dayton Municipal Court against 11 of the 23 UD students arrested in the undercover Brown Street stings. Separately, seven UD students were also charged this week with the same misdemeanors, but for instances on South Main, Brown and Lowes streets that occurred in January and February.

Miami University in Oxford has also had its share of alcohol-related problems this semester.

Alcohol was believed to have been a factor in the death of Miami freshman Erica Buschick, according to a report released earlier this month by Miami University Police. Buschick was found dead on Jan. 20 by her roommate in Morris Hall.

Buschick’s roommate said the two drank two bottles of champagne and a Dasani water bottle that was just over half-full of vodka, according to the police report. Buschick fell asleep in a bean bag chair in her room, but when her roommate woke the next morning, Buschick was cold and the roommate called 911.

Last weekend there was also a spike in alcohol-related hospitalizations at Miami University. From Feb. 9 to Feb. 12, 21 college students were transported to McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital-TriHealth for alcohol-related reasons, said Oxford Fire Chief John Detherage.

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