By Matthew McGevna
A 45-year-old West Hempstead woman has the dubious distinction of becoming the first parent in Nassau County to be ticketed under the county's new social host law. The law, put into effect last month, is a measure lawmakers hope will discourage adults from providing alcohol to minors who are not their own children.
Last week, Karen Dittmer, of Dogwood Avenue in West Hempstead was charged under the law after police say she served beer to her son's friends while celebrating her birthday in the backyard.
It all started when police responded to a neighbor's complaint about a fight that had broken out at the party at around 10 p.m. on August 4. Police say when they arrived, Dittmer's son, Donald Dittmer, 18, began to argue with them, grabbed one of them by the shirt and wouldn't comply with orders to step away from their patrol car. He was arrested and is being charged with disorderly conduct, according to police.
Police say they investigated the incident further and soon discovered that a number of minors were at the party, drinking alcohol. The police department's public information office says they interviewed a 19-year-old girl who witnessed the underage drinking going on in Dittmer's back yard.
Karen Dittmer, who suffered an injury to her arm during the apparent melee at her birthday party, maintains her innocence and said that her son was drinking at another location before showing up at the Dogwood Avenue party. Donald Dittmer said he was followed home by a group of men and that's when the fight broke out. Police are still investigating what caused the fight and who was involved.
Both Karen and Donald Dittmer are due in 1st District Court in Hempstead on August 16. Fashioned after a similar law passed in the city of Long Beach, the county-wide social host law makes it illegal for any adult over 18 to serve alcohol to anyone under 21. Dittmer is the first parent to be charged in Nassau County, but the second person ticketed under the new law, which was sponsored by county Legislator David Mejias. On July 29, police in Kings Point ticketed 19-year-old Frank Lalezarzadeh for allegedly serving alcohol to minors at his home while his parents were away.
The social host law has two exemptions to its parameters. The law does not apply to a parent who consciously gives their own child an alcoholic beverage under their supervision, and it does not apply to alcohol provided to a minor as part of a religious ceremony. If convicted, Dittmer could face a fine of $250 for her first offense.
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