Canter Brook Owner Faces Charges After Underage Drinking Party

The owner of is now facing charges in connection to an underage

Jerry Dawson, 50, was issued a summons to appear in Ipswich District Court to face a single charge of furnishing alcohol to a minor. The charge is a misdemeanor that carries a possible penalty of a fine up to $2,000 and/or a year in prison.

Police list Dawson’s address as 20 Cheever Ave. in Saugus.

The charge is one of the several parts of what is known as the social host law, a set of laws that punish adults who provide alcohol to minors or provide them a place to gather and drink. Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett has been actively pushing in recent years to raise awareness of the laws and get out the word to parents about the penalties, as well as the affect of alcohol on teenagers.

Police did not say what role Dawson allegedly played in the party and what exactly he allegedly did that prompted the charges.

The party happened on April 14 . All of them were given a future date to appear in Ipswich District Court in Newburyport. Afterward and the announcement that Dawson faces charges is the result of the ongoing investigation, police said.

Police discovered the party as part of a follow-up investigation from a car stop earlier in the evening on April 14, on Highland Street. Sgt. Stephen Walsh and Officers Achadinaha and Michael Girolimon handled the case.

Hamilton police called in assistance from Ipswich, Topsfield and in transporting and processing all the party-goers that night. Nobody was hurt.

Dawson owns the 14-acre property between Asbury and Highland streets that he bought in 2007, according to Hamilton assessor records. The complex was mostly unused for several years before Dawson purchased it and undertook renovations to it.

Besides the charges that have been filed, few other details about the party have been made public. Police said previously that none of the young people issued summonses for possession of alcohol under 21 were from Hamilton. No further details about how the party-goers knew each other or what brought them to Hamilton were released on Wednesday. Hamilton Police Lt. Scott Janes said more information would be released following Dawson’s arraignment. Information on when Dawson is scheduled to appear in Ipswich District Court was not immediately available from police on Wednesday.