By Eric Stock
BLOOMINGTON – McLean County Sheriff’s Police say they’ve seen a surge in underage drinking parties recently.
Sheriff Jon Sandage told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin his department has arrested more than 40 minors for underage drinking in the last month.
PODCAST: Listen to Scott’s interview with Sandage on WJBC.
“We also want to get the message out to the parents that if you allow your children to host an underage party, you too could be arrested. And if someone leaves that party and gets into an accident or hurt, you could be looking at a Class 4 felony,” Sandage explained.
Sandage said the sheriff’s office uses a grant from the Bloomington-Normal Community Campus Committee to conduct underage party patrols.
Opioids
President Trump is rolling out a new plan to tackle the country’s opioid epidemic. The plan calls for stiffer penalties for high intensity drug traffickers, including the possibility of the death penalty.
Sheriff Jon Sandage said he has mixed feelings about stiffer sentences for drug offenders, because he said it doesn’t address the root cause.
Sandage added the federal government should set aside more money fund for drug treatment.
Active shooter
The Sheriff’s Department is offering a school resource officer to give training to local churches on what to do in an active shooter situation. Sandage said that officer is also conducting the training for students at Olympia High School.
“There’s no easy answer to it. It’s unfortunate, it’s just the times we live in,” said Sandage. “The brutal reality of it is that if someone wants to do something that bad, they’re hard to stop.”
Sandage said the best solution lies with getting the mentally ill the treatment they need, which he hopes the new jail will be better equipped to do. The new jail is set to open in September.
Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].
