Ohio lawmakers want to make it a felony to provide alcohol to minors if it leads to a fatality

In the early morning hours on Father's Day 2020, Frank and Sharon Pacek got a call from the Medina Twp. Police Department about their 19-year-old son, Trevor.

Officers summoned them to a house where Trevor and two friends had a bonfire and party.

The details are seared in Sharon Pacek's memory: Arriving at 6 a.m. No sign of Trevor. Officers telling her the teens had been drinking alcohol when they took a small boat out on a pond. It capsized. Her son was dead.

The Pacek family is now working with state Rep. Sharon Ray, R-Wadsworth, to change state law and make it a felony for adults to provide alcohol to minors if it results in a death.

Under the bill announced Tuesday, House Bill 674, violators would be charged with a fourth-degree felony. If it becomes law, it would require courts to issue a mandatory prison term of six to 18 months.

A parent of one of the boys at the party entered a plea of no contest to charges of falsification and furnishing alcohol to minors. The charges constituted a misdemeanor, a fine of $2,817 and he was sentenced to 120 days in jail, 200 hours of community service and five years probation.

"The sentence is a lot but it doesn't go far enough," Sharon Pacek said.

She said the details of her son's death remain vivid in her memory.

"Law enforcement brought in a cadaver dog," she said. "To this day I can still hear that dog's bark. His bark gave me hope."

But soon after, the barking suddenly stopped. Silence fell over the property as Sharon came to the realization that her son's body had been found.

"I knew Trevor wasn't coming home with us," Sharon said. "He wouldn't be home to celebrate Father's Day with his father."

What is the current law?

Under current Ohio law, it is illegal to give alcohol to a minor and would result in a first- degree misdemeanor. Violators could face a maximum of six months in jail, up to a $1,000 fine or both.

Currently, the law does not distinguish between violations that result in a death and those that don't.

The Paceks wrote to Gov. Mike DeWine about their son's death asking for his support on legislation such as Ray's bill. DeWine wrote back expressing he would support increased penalties in cases such as Trevor's.

In 2021, the Ohio State Highway Patrol reported there were 25 deaths due to car crashes that related to alcohol and teens. This year, there have been four alcohol and teen related deaths reported.

The bill was assigned to the House Criminal Justice Committee, but Ray said it's possible it won't get hearings until the fall. But with proms, graduations and summer break coming up for many underage students, Ray said she hopes the bill will raise awareness.

"Now is when [adults] should start thinking about this as they host parties for young adults," Ray said.

Ray said she intends on naming the bill "Trevor's Bill" in honor of Trevor.

"There's a reason you're not allowed to drink until you're 21 years of age," Ray said. "And providing alcohol to someone else's child can result in a tragedy, just like Trevor's."

Teen drinking: Ohio might make it easier to charge adults who 'allow' underage drinking

Other bills look to toughen Ohio laws on drinking

Ray's is the latest Ohio bill aiming to change current alcohol laws. Earlier this year, lawmakers introduced HB 418 which would make it easier to prosecute homeowners or businesses that allow underage drinking.

In March, lawmakers introduced HB 574 which would change a hundred-year-old law that allows alcohol to be sold but not given away at charitable or political events held in private homes.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio bill seeks felony charge for adults giving alcohol to minors