One Dead at Underage Drinking Party, 11 Cited for Alcohol

Derwood, MD — A Gaithersburg man likely drowned early Sunday at an underage drinking party, and 11 party-goers were charged with possession of alcohol underage, authorities say.

Montgomery County Police say no foul play is suspected in the death of Diego Padilla, 25, of the 100 block of Spring Street in Gaithersburg. He was found unresponsive in a pool at the party, which was hosted by two adult brothers who live in the 5800 block of Winegrove Court in Derwood.

Guests at the party called 911 at 2:38 a.m. after Padilla was found in the pool. He was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Detectives from the Montgomery County Police – Major Crimes Division and officers from the Alcohol Initiatives Section are investigating Padilla’s death. The cause of death remains undetermined pending the results of an autopsy by the Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore.

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Police say the party hosts – who have not yet been identified – at first refused to let officers into the house to investigate the underage drinking party. After officers contacted a relative of the homeowner who responded to the house, investigators entered the home.

Alcohol Initiatives officers said they saw several “extremely intoxicated people outside of the home and large quantities of alcoholic beverages on the rear deck of the house.” Ten adults between age 18 and 20 and one juvenile were charged with possession of alcohol by persons under 21.

The circumstances surrounding Padilla’s death and issues related to the underage alcohol party remain under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070.

»SEE ALSO:

• Teen Drunk Driver Who Killed Two Friends Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison
• Teen Drinking: Drunk Prom-Goers Allowed to Walk at Graduation
• ‘This Must Stop’: Principal Tells Parents Hosting Teen Drinking Parties
• Teens Attended Underage Drinking Party Before Deadly Crash, Police Say (Updated)
• ‘It’s a Parent’s Worst Nightmare,’ Says Father of Teen Killed in Crash

Past MoCo Underage Drinking Disputes, Deaths

Montgomery County leaders have been visible in their efforts to combat underage drinking, especially following the deaths of two Wootton High School graduates in June 2015 after attending an underage drinking party.

In February, Kimberly Boldon, acting principal of the high school in Rockville, posted a letter online to warn parents about the dangers of teen drinking on the spring break trip to Mexico.

Boldon said she was “deeply saddened and frustrated to see that some of the promotional/informational materials associated with this trip do not strongly discourage the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Our community has suffered tremendous losses, and I am disappointed that anyone would imply that drinking by our students who are not yet of legal drinking age is acceptable.”

The husband of one of the spring break trip’s organizers is Kenneth Jay Saltzman of Potomac, who pleaded guilty in December to furnishing alcohol to a minor. Saltzman hosted an underage drinking party June 25, which was attended by Samuel Ellis, the former star quarterback at Thomas S. Wootton High School.

Ellis, of North Potomac, was the driver in a crash that killed classmates Alexander Murk, 18, of Potomac and Calvin Jia-Xing Li, 18, of Rockville.

Last month, a Montgomery County judge sentenced Ellis to four years in prison — two years for each passenger who died. Another 16 years of prison time was suspended by the judge, WTOP reports.

And in May, a decision by the interim superintendent to overturn a Bethesda principal’s ouster of students from graduation ceremonies because they showed up at prom drunk stirred controversy.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Principal Donna Redmond Jones in the days leading up to the May 6 prom warned students that anyone caught drinking or using drugs before or during the alcohol-free prom would not be allowed to take part in graduation. Six students were disciplined, the Washington Post reports, including several seniors.

Interim superintendent Larry A. Bowers reversed the graduation ban although the students “consumed alcohol during prom activities,” Bowers said in a letter to parents. But Bowers decided the seniors could walk across the stage to receive their diplomas during the June 1 ceremony.