4 Sanford boys hit with beer, pot charges

SANFORD - Four youngsters were summonsed on New Year's for drinking and drug possession in an incident police characterize as unusual but not unheard of.

The boys ranged in age from 12- to 13-years old.

Only one of the youngsters was found with a usable amount of marijuana, police say, but all were found to have been drinking beer.

The incident began when police were called to an apartment at 23 Island Ave. around 8:50 p.m. due to a noise complaint, Sanford Deputy Chief Tim Strout said today.

He said officers immediately noticed a smell of liquor on the boys' breath and found one to have some marijuana in his possession.

None of the children lived at the address, but had the permission of those who did to be in the apartment. However, no adults were in the apartment at the time of the incident.

The youngsters were all released to the custody of their parents and will later have to appear in juvenile court, though Strout couldn't say what type of punishment they might expect.

Strout said no charges against any adults are expected, but he did say it should be a cautionary tale for parents and guardians.

"Parents should be aware of this happening, at these early ages, too," Strout said today.