An Orange County property owner is facing numerous charges after a party on his land attended by more than 2,500 people led to underage, intoxicated revelers wandering through traffic and numerous calls for assistance.

Dwight B. Poole, 60, is charged with six counts of aiding and abetting people under the age of 21 to consume alcohol, according to a release by the sheriff’s office on Friday afternoon. The large party, held on May 2, took place at Poole’s Smokehouse Valley Farm, an agritourism property located off Mill Creek Road in Cedar Grove.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said more than 75 calls for service related to the party were fielded within a six-hour period, a number which represents more than 37 percent of all 911 calls in the entire county during that time frame. The office says more than 25 officers from multiple agencies responded, and emergency medical personnel had to transport several partygoers to hospitals.

“Attendees parked along both sides of the road, blocking the flow of traffic,” said Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood in the release. “They obstructed driveways, left automobiles in the yards of neighboring property owners, and intoxicated individuals wandered between vehicles snarled in traffic. Many partygoers were underage, and people drove away from the event despite being significantly under the influence of intoxicating substances. Others were so impaired they passed out along the roadway.

“Responding law enforcement officers and medical first responders had great difficulty reaching those in need of assistance,” he added. “In my opinion, this gathering was of such a size and scope that the overall risk to attendees, community residents, and first responders was alarmingly high.”

Smokehouse Valley Farm — which did not have any details about the event shared on its social media — is listed on its Facebook page as an event space. The property is also the site of a party-turned-tragedy in 2018, when Cedar Ridge High School senior Rashiaya Melton was shot in the head during a party and later died from the injury. Poole did not face charges from Melton’s death because he required users of the property to sign a safety agreement ahead of the event — although the farm, at the time, was not sanctioned to hold such parties.

Poole has been ordered to appear in court on May 29.

 

Featured image via Orange County Sheriff’s Office

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