ATOD, the Illinois Judges Association and LCHS present:
7 Reasons to leave the party

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[April 25, 2015]  LINCOLN - On Wednesday morning, Judge Casey Kostigan of the 11th Judicial Circuit gave a presentation to the student body of Lincoln Community High School. Coming into a season of special events - prom, graduations and the end of another school year - teens will be celebrating. The Judge addressed the students regarding the legal consequences of partying.

The program called "7 reasons to leave the party" was sponsored by the Illinois Judges Association, the Healthy Communities Partnership Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Destructive Behaviors Program and the high school.

With prom and graduation just around the corner in local high schools, Kostigan wanted to drive home the consequences of bad behavior. Those consequences can include jail time, permanent criminal records, loss of driving privileges, as well as permanent damage to future college and career goals.


Speaking candidly and bluntly, Kostigan walked through the seven reasons including death, criminal records, no trust, no time, no privacy, no money, and no car.

Obviously no one wants to see that first reason, death, occur. But the fact is in the age bracket between 15 and 20 years, one-third of all deaths are due to motor vehicle accidents, and of those deaths, 36-percent are alcohol related.

Kostigan told a story of a young man who had been given a hot new car for his birthday. One night while drinking with friends, they decided to take the car out and see how well it should “corner.” He took a curve at a high rate of speed, hit loose gravel, and wrecked. One passenger was ejected from the car and instantly killed when hitting the pavement. Another passenger, the car landed on her crushing one leg. After surgery and repairs to the leg, it is now shorter than the other, and she is physically damaged for life due to this incident. The young man driving was uninjured, but still suffered the legal consequences of his actions.

Kostigan said a criminal record is something that will follow a young person throughout their lives, and that if kids believe they will be treated as juveniles for alcohol and drug offenses, they are wrong.

If stopped with drugs or alcohol in a car, they can be charged with driving under the influence, consumption, possession, transportation of alcohol and more. They can be fined up to $2,500, placed under court-ordered supervision, have their license suspended, be subject to random testing, forced to undergo drug treatment, and can even be forced to forfeit their cars to authorities.

Kostigan also spoke about the strange things that happen when under the influence. He talked about a young man at a party who needed a bathroom, but the facility was busy. Tired of waiting, he went outside and urinated in a parking lot. The act was witnessed by a patrolling police officer. The young man was charged with indecent exposure.

Years later, this same young man, now a stellar student with a bright future applied to the FBI. He was confident that he was qualified, but the FBI rejected him. He contacted them and found out it was his criminal record that had hurt his future. He argued that he was a kid; it was a long time ago, and that he was very well qualified for the FBI. The answer came back, “There are hundreds who are qualified that DON’T have criminal records.”

Kostigan said once arrested, trust goes out the window. From that time on good parents will want to know where you are going, who you’ll be with, when you will be home, and more.

And, he said, forget about your right to privacy; it is gone. He said once you have a record, and if you are on probation, a police or probation officer has the right to administer a breathalyzer test at any point in time.


Kostigan introduced McLean County Probation Officer Mike Donovan, who drafted a volunteer from the audience to take a portable “blow test.” Kostigan said the test could be administered at any time at the officer’s discretion to those convicted of alcohol-related crimes.

He also talked about the fact that if arrested and taken to a police station, a urine test may be required. An officer will accompany the person to the bathroom and watch him, or her urinate. He said that some repeat offenders come up with creative ways to fool the police, but it never works.

He also told a story of a woman, a suspected drug dealer, who had been sold pot and cocaine in a sting operation. The police allowed her to leave the purchasing scene then arrested her. They could not find the cocaine. As a result, Kostigan was called on to issue a search warrant for the human body. He said it was a strange request, and he questioned the circumstances. He was told that the cocaine was not to be found but that the female suspect was indicating through her behavior that something was going on in her crotch area. He issued the warrant. The female was taken to a hospital for a cavity search, and the cocaine was found “up there.” Kostigan ended this commentary telling the students that if they consider buying drugs, they should remember this story because ultimately, they have no idea where those drugs have been.

 

Kostigan also spoke about the financial cost of getting caught. Throughout the morning, he showed slides in a PowerPoint presentation that indicated what the minimum and maximum fines would be when found guilty of an offense. The least of these was $500. He talked about teenagers having part time jobs and told them to stop and consider, do they really want to spend their paychecks on paying fines?

In another portion of the program Kostigan set the stage for a party going on un-chaperoned. In the kitchen, there were kids and booze, in the bedroom there were kids with pot, in the basement there were kids having sex, and on the back porch a fight was going on.


When the police raid the party, there are going to be a lot of arrests. He said in the kitchen kids are found sitting at a table with a can of unopened beer sitting there. He asked who would be charged with possession of alcohol; and told the students that everyone at the table would be charged because the beer does not have to be in anyone’s hand in order for it to be considered in possession, it only has to be in the room basically.

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He talked about what was going on in the basement. He said if the two having sex include an 18-year-old, and a 15-year-old, charges will be brought against the 18-year-old for criminal sexual abuse. That charge will also force that 18 year-old to register as a Sex Offender, a tag that will follow him for many years to come. In addition, there would be to up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. Kostigan also pointed out that there is no discrimination in this law. If the 18-year-old is a female and the male is the younger person, that female will suffer the same consequences.

Kostigan also talked about the residual charges that will follow the raid of a party. The legal aged relative who purchased the alcohol will be charged for his or her actions. The parents, even though they were not at home and didn’t know the party was going on, will also be charged.

Kostigan began wrapping up his presentation by talking to the kids about how drugs change their looks over time. He showed slides of attractive people who became aged and ugly because of the use of drugs.

He also talked about the affect of “beer goggles,” showing slides of people who are ordinary, if not unattractive. As alcohol is consumed that ordinary person becomes more attractive in the eyes of the drunk.

On another slide, Kostigan showed handwriting samples of a simple sentence written sober, after two drinks, four drinks, five drinks, and seven drinks. Noting the deterioration of the penmanship, he read the bottom line of the slide, “When you drink too much, you can’t handle a car. You can’t even handle a pen.”

Kostigan said people also do stupid things when they are drunk or high. Showing a slide of a local convicted drug user. Michael C. Knuth, better known as " Tattoo" was arrested in 2009 after firing on a Lincoln Police Officer, and is currently in prison. He said that when Tattoo would get high, his favorite thing to do was add a new tattoo, preferably on his face.
 


Kostigan also spoke about a parent contract that he would like for every kid and parent to sign. In the contract, the young person promises that if he or she finds himself in an undesirable or dangerous situation, he or she will call mom and dad to come and get them out.

Mom and dad are going to agree that when they get that call, they will come. But they are also going to promise that they will do so discreetly and won’t embarrass their son or daughter by making a scene in front of their child’s peers. They are also going to agree not to lash out at their child. For the parents, it should be a no questions asked policy.

For mom and dad, this is not going to be an easy task. Using himself as an example, he said he had two children, and someday he may get that call. He said he would go, but he would be upset and angry, he knew that. But, he would hold his tongue and drive his child home in silence. In the morning, when he was calmer, he would remember the courage it took for his child to make that call. He said for a kid to buck his or her friends, and make the right decision takes a lot of courage, and parents need to remember that the morning after.

[Download and print a copy of the contract here]

Kostigan ended his presentation with a very disturbing and graphic slideshow. The subject was a young woman with a promising future ahead of her. She was hit by a drunk driver. Her car caught fire, and she was literally burned alive inside it. She was severely mutilated as a result, but did survive. The slideshow shows her suffering and how she lives today. The last slide is a poster used publicly to help discourage drunk driving. The words at the top of the poster read; “Not everyone who gets hit by a drunk driver dies.”

[The sideshow may be viewed by clicking here. Be warned, these images are graphically disturbing.]

After the presentation, Lincoln Police Officer Tim Butterfield said that the local department is always on the alert for parties and there is a heightened awareness at this time of year. He said, “We stay alert because we want to see these young people safe, we want them to graduate and lead productive lives.”

The staff of LDN share this sentiment. This is a great time of year for Logan County youth, and we hope and pray that it will be a fun, rewarding, and safe time for all.

[Nila Smith]

 

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