Agoura Hills club targeted for teen alcohol and drugs

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers EVIDENCE—Deputy Frank Brower, left, inspects a medicine bottle filled with marijuana that he confiscated during the search of a teenager's car last Sunday near the Chapter 8 nightclub.

Twenty-one teenagers and young adults were arrested last weekend at Chapter 8 Steak House and Lounge in Agoura Hills as part of an increased effort by the Lost Hills Sheriff's Department to curtail underage drinking and drug use at the club's popular teen dance parties.

Owners of Chapter 8 rented the restaurant to an independent promoter who put together the parties on each of the last four weekends. All guests are under 21 and pay $20 for general entry or $40 for a VIP ticket which allows them to bypass waiting in long lines.

 The parties are said to be a good way for underage teens to enjoy a club atmosphere in the presence of their peers.

On Sun., Aug 10 some 250 teens and young adults came to the Agoura Road club from Agoura Hills, Oak Park and other surrounding cities.

Those cited for underage drinking, drug possession, loitering and curfew violations were detained at the Lost Hills Sheriff's Station.

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers TEEN DRINKING—Dep. J.T. Manwell questions a teen about a beer bottle on the ground near the Chapter 8 nightclub. Several young people admitted to the officer that they were drinking.

Sparked by complaints

The Lost Hills' Juvenile Intervention Team had received a number of complaints from parents about the dance parties, said Lt. Steve Smith of the Lost Hills station.

The Aug. 10 teen round-up wasn't the first time officers had intervened. On July 27, three juveniles were arrested for public intoxication in the Chapter 8 parking lot on Agoura Road, and three youths had alcohol in their cars, Smith said. On Aug. 8, a 14-year-old boy was rushed to a local hospital for possible alcohol poisoning.

Brandon Hillis, general manager of Chapter 8, said steps are taken to ensure that the participants, who range in age from 16 to 20, don't bring alcohol or drugs into the club.

"We check all the girls' bags, and pat down all the boys," Hillis said. "They have to take everything out of their pocket."

But the deputies say security is lax. Smith said officers have witnessed boys being checked for drugs or alcohol, but many girls entered the club without a purse search. More troubling, he said, is that teens come to the parties already intoxicated. Smith said they drink in the parking lot or somewhere nearby before they enter the lounge.

"Our main concern is that when you mix adult behavior with kids they are vulnerable to fights, (car) accidents and sexual assault," Smith said. Statistically, most girls who are raped know the man who committed the assault, Smith said, and alcohol and drugs are usually part of the equation.

"It's a dangerous environment for a young lady," Smith said.

Dep. Steve Rotella said although guests are not permitted to leave the establishment once inside, they have been seen reentering through unlocked back doors. "The girls are the ones getting alcohol in," Rotella said.

"Parents aren't thinking that their kids are drinking," Smith said. "It sounds like good, clean fun."

Teens busted

During last week's crack down, some teens were caught with marijuana and other drugs in their cars.

Molly, 17, was detained for a curfew violation.

A student at Thousand Oaks High School, Molly said she left the club so she could drive her four friends back to their cars and be home by 11 p.m., the curfew established by her parents. "I'm going to be grounded," she said.

Most curfew ordinances, including the law in Agoura Hills, prohibit minors from being out past 10 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends. Minors can legally stay out late if they are participating in a religious, educational or political activity, running an errand for a parent, working, responding to an emergency and other specific activities.

Also conflicting with the 1 a.m. closing time at the Chapter 8 teen parties are driving curfews. Teens that have held their license for less than one year are not allowed to drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., according to the law.

Matt Seyhun, 18, a recent graduate from Westlake High School, was detained for a short time.

"We didn't do anything wrong," Seyhun said. "We didn't drink, didn't smoke. . . . I guess we were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Seyhun said many of the problems associated with teen dance parties would be eliminated if the clubs hosted dance parties for 18-to-20 year olds only.

Several younger teens running through the parking lot to their cars were detained by Dep. Scott Rule and Dep. Jill Greenwood. One 16-year-old boy said he was just getting his wallet and planned to return to the club. He said he was unaware that the local curfew was 10 p.m. and was not told he couldn't come back to the club once he left.

One parent came to pick up his son, who was cited for a curfew violation. He said it was his son's first request to attend one of the teen parties and, after witnessing what occurred, the father said he wasn't happy.

Members of Lost Hill's Alcohol and Beverage Control unit found alcohol on the premises, in water bottles and glasses. Chapter 8 may be fined for the violation.

Smith said the crackdown on the Chapter 8 dance party was a "success" because the kids they detained could have become victims of a traffic collision, a fight, or a sexual assault.

According to a Chapter 8 bouncer, only one more of the teen parties is scheduled.