Raleigh student dead after DWI incident

 

Underage drinkers in Raleigh may be re-thinking their partying habits after a highly publicized DWI case.

 

Garrett Prince, a 16-year-old Millbrook student, has been charged with a DWI and a provisional DWI after crashing his Jeep on Dec. 31. Fellow student Elizabeth Molloy, 17, was killed in the crash. Molloy was the only passenger in the vehicle at the time of the crash.

 

"Since he is underage for legal consumption, any amount of alcohol in his system is illegal," Jim Sughrue, director of public affairs for the Raleigh Police Department, said.

 

In addition to being charged for drunk driving, Prince is also facing charges for the follows: the felony of death by motor vehicle; careless and reckless driving; having an open container of liquor; speeding and possession of marijuana. 

 

According to Sughrue, the ages of those involved may have had something to do with the accident.

 

"People who are underage are more likely to make mistakes with alcohol. Not that people who are of age don't, but underage people are more likely to," Sughrue said.

 

Prince is not the only person facing charges in this case. Anthony Du Juan Geter, 21, has been charged with four counts of purchasing alcohol for a minor; he allegedly supplied a bottle of 1.75 liter of Bacardi Dragon Berry the night of the crash.

 

"He could face criminal penalties and civil liabilities. Those charges will be determined by the state," Sughrue said.

 

Sughrue suggested that this could serve as a cautionary tale to those who wish to consume alcohol underage. Despite this, some people, such as Matt Bass, junior in civil engineering, will not change their alcohol habits.

 

Bass said that despite a potential threat of charges for the person buying, he would still be willing to ask people who are of age to purchase his alcohol; he insists being careful is all that is required.

 

"I'd probably still do it. I trust myself to be careful and responsible and I would never give up the name of anyone who bought something for me, no matter what," Bass said.

 

Bass went on to say that he has driven after drinking in the past, though he does not consider his actions to be drunk driving.

"I judge it by how I feel, not by how many drinks I've had. If I feel like I can do it, I will," Bass said.

 

Bass also said he does not believed Geter deserves to be charged with anything in relation to the crash.

 

"He had no control over how it was used or what people did; it's not like he was there. I could see being in trouble for buying it, but nothing besides that," Bass said.

 

Aaron Melton, senior in science education, had a different opinion about the charges. Melton, who is over 21 himself, said that he would personally not buy alcohol for underage people due to the possibility of being charged.

 

"No, I wouldn't buy alcohol for anyone. There's too much risk involved," Melton said.

 

While Melton maintained that he would not purchase any alcohol for underage people, he did say people who want to drink underage will most likely find a way to do it.

 

"People today just want to drink and they'll do anything to get their hands on it," Melton said.

 

Sughrue said he hopes people can take something positive from this negative event.

 

"It was certainly a tragic event and if any good can come from it, it would be that it would help somebody else reconsider their decisions," Sughrue said.