Sparta Police officers bust house party
<p dir="ltr"><span>In law enforcement, sometimes you never know what you’re going to find.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>An illegally-parked vehicle led Sparta Police officers to a house party in the 400 block of North Oak Street shortly after midnight on Saturday, where officers made one arrest and cited six others for unlawful consumption of alcohol.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>“The officers observed a vehicle that was illegally parked, so they went to the house and made contact with people inside the house,” said Sparta Police Chief Sean Lukes. “It wasn’t something we were necessarily looking for.”</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Lukes said the officers observed a person believed to be under the age of 21 in possession of an alcoholic beverage.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>“They saw several people excuse themselves to a room in the back of the house,” he said.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Those cited were 19-year-old Anthony L. Schneider (of Lebanon), 20-year-old Alexander J. Schneider (of Sparta), 17-year-old Timothy C. Chalders (of Tilden), 17-year-old William K. Morris (of Steeleville), 20-year-old Aaron W. Kinstler (of Sparta) and 18-year-old Mackenzie L. Smith (of Tilden).</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Also present at the house was 22-year-old Evan R. Dotson, of Sparta, who was arrested on a Randolph County warrant for failure to appear on a disorderly conduct charge and a Perry County warrant for failure to appear on a charge of possession of cannabis.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Dotson was later taken to Randolph County Jail. Lukes commended his “very, very alert officers” for their successful investigation.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>“They went up to the house and knocked on the door,” he said. “Sometimes you get lucky that way and find other activity that’s going on.”</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Lukes noted that those cited would be going to city court, where they could receive a fine and/or court supervision.</span>