The Chapel Hill Police Department issued citations to four college students on Monday for violating North Carolina’s executive order regarding gatherings and mask requirements.

In some of the first instances where Chapel Hill Police have enforced the order with citations, reports on the department’s website show four UNC students were cited for actions on Thursday, August 20. Violations of state or local emergency orders, which are in place due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, are Class 2 misdemeanors.

In an email to Chapel Hill Town Manager Maurice Jones on Tuesday, Police Chief Chris Blue said all four citations were the result of investigations into nearby reports of loud parties in the previous week. He listed the Phi Delta Theta fraternity house on South Columbia Street and a residence on Church Street as the locations of the gatherings.

According to Blue, Chapel Hill Police initially responded to a noise ordinance violation at the South Columbia Street house.

“Officers had difficulty contacting anyone inside the residence due to the windows and doors being covered with black plastic,” Blue wrote. “As there were gaps in the plastic, officers could see a large number of people inside the residence.  The officers estimated that there were 50 people inside the fraternity.”

The police chief described a similar situation after officers responded to concerns about a gathering at the Church Street location.

“Officers were called to investigate a loud party and, when they approached the door, officers observed a number of people inside the residence who were not wearing masks and most were not social distancing,” he said. “Once the officers were seen by the party participants, many attendees began leaving the house through the back door.”

North Carolina Executive Order 151 prohibits gatherings of more than ten people when indoors. Blue said the responding officers to both instances made detailed notes and the citations were issued after conducting a review of the violations on Monday.

The Town of Chapel Hill has largely worked to educate residents about the state and local guidelines amid the COVID-19 pandemic instead of solely enforcing them. Earlier this month, Blue said Chapel Hill Police officers plan to warn, educate and document offenders before issuing a citation. He told Chapelboro repeat violators or situations that egregiously violate the executive order would result in enforcement actions.

A release from the town on Wednesday about the citations said UNC has been notified of the citations and the university’s Student Affairs department is continuing receive daily reports about student-related incidents around the town. UNC leadership has said they expect for students to follow public health guidelines and could face administrative action for violations.

This is not the first instance within Orange County where a resident has been cited for violating the state executive order. In April, Hillsborough Police issued charges to a resident after officers broke up a block party consisting of 30 to 50 people.

All four students listed in the Chapel Hill Police reports were given court dates in November for their citations.

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