Cops: Novato Resident Cited Under City's 'Social Host Ordinance' After Teens Found Drunk at Party

A Novato man was ticketed this weekend when police responded to a party at his house in which underage children were found with alcohol, according to police.

At around 11:53 p.m. Saturday, Novato police say they were called about an intoxicated female on Holstrom Circle.

“Upon their arrival, the officers discovered a large juvenile party at 99 Holstrom Circle,” police said in a Nixle alert. “The first officers arriving in the area contacted a 16-year-old male walking away from the party, holding a bottle of alcohol in his hand.”

While detaining that teen, officers then noticed a “large number” of teens fleeing from the party.

“Upon contact at the residence, officers determined that a large juvenile party was taking place inside and that alcohol was present,” police said.

Authorities got in contact with the homeowner, 49-year-old Alex Sabatino Koehler. They eventually cited him for allegedly violating the Novato Social Host Ordinance, police said.

However, Koehler tells the Marin Independent Journal that he was hosting a “small gathering” for his daughter and her friends that simply got out of control.

When police were wrapping up at the house, they spotted another allegedly drunk teen in the road; this one a 15-year-old girl.

“It was determined that the juvenile was unable to care for her own safety,” police said. “She was detained, cited and released to her parents for public intoxication.”

(Image via Shutterstock)