Walk It Through: The Graduation Party
A summons and up to $50, not a conviction, and .02 to .07 at the wheel.
An officer in a park sees an underage guest from a graduation party openly holding a beer.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
One party and the drive home. The tasting exception for students, the refusal hearing, and driving while intoxicated or impaired are not worked through here.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Possession with intent to drinkA person under twenty-one possessing an alcoholic beverage intending to drink it, unless a parent or guardian gave it to them. The court may impose a fine of up to $50.
- Zero toleranceThe rule that no one under twenty-one may drive after having consumed alcohol, defined as .02 to .07 by weight of alcohol in the blood.