Go to the homepage for the Sylva Herald and Ruralite

Four arrested during high school graduation party

By Lisa Majors-Duff
A high school graduation party broken up last week by officers with the Jackson County Sheriff's Department and state Alcohol Law Enforcement netted four arrests and 10 kegs of beer.

The party, which was held at the "Horse Farm" in Caney Fork community, was advertised at Smoky Mountain High School with fliers prior to the May 29 event, according to J.P. Gallardo of the Sheriff's Department. Though the printed material did not indicate alcohol would be available, talk around the school made that fact clear, he said.

Kristen Paige Kaye, 23, of Cullowhee, and her brother, Michael George Kaye, 18, a graduating senior and president of the student body, were charged with selling alcoholic beverages without obtaining an ABC permit. A $5 fee was charged for admittance to the party, Gallardo said, and a Budweiser trailer with 10 kegs of beer was confiscated.

Of the estimated 200 underage individuals consuming alcohol at the party, two were charged with possession of malt beverage after becoming verbally abusive with officers on the scene, said Gallardo. Charged were Daniel McCord, 17, of Tuckasegee, a recent graduate, and Casey Crispian Holder, 17, of Sylva, a rising senior, who was also charged with resisting arrest.

"We weren't there to arrest a lot of people," Gallardo said. "We just wanted to make sure nothing real major happened."

Smoky Mountain High's resource officer, Keith Webb, who is also a deputy with the Sheriff's Department, was made aware of the graduation party through the fliers around campus, Gallardo said. In addition to inviting the entire student body, the fliers also advertised a live band.

Following the arrests and the removal of the beer, "the party just broke up and everybody went home," Gallardo said.

Back to Archive: 06/08/00.