LAWRENCE — A pair of teenagers with jail time already hanging over their heads in separate school threat cases could face criminal charges after police said they caught them at an underage drinking party over the weekend.
Katherine Koontz and George Kattar Jr. — along with eight others — face criminal charges for their roles in an underage drinking party discovered by police early Saturday in Lawrence. If convicted on those charges, Koontz and Kattar face possible jail time because of court conditions imposed during their previous, unrelated criminal cases.
Koontz, 18, accepted responsibility for writing "hit lists" threatening local high school students. Kattar, 18, was charged with making a fake bomb and leaving it outside Methuen High School last winter.
In the hit list case, Koontz was placed on 18 months of probation and warned if she got in trouble, she could be sent to jail.
Kattar received a suspended jail sentence and was ordered, along with another teen, to pay $8,311 in restitution. He also was told not to use alcohol or drugs, according to information provided by District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett's office yesterday.
The underage drinking party in Lawrence was discovered at 4:14 a.m. Saturday, when police went to 62 Hillside Ave. to investigate a "possible home invasion" report.
A large puddle of blood was found on the ground next to a car. Two people were injured, including Kattar, who suffered a minor cut. Dozens of empty beer cans and liquor bottles were strewn inside the apartment.
When questioned by police, "a number of the individuals admitted to us they had been drinking," police Chief John Romero said.
As a result of the party, police said they are issuing criminal summonses to the following on charges of being minors in possession of alcohol:
r Koontz of Greenwich Way, Methuen
r Kattar of 17 Somerset St., Methuen
r Rachel Gieryn, 18, of 45 Dandridge Ave., Salem, N.H.
r Amanda Dacoli, 17, of 6 Sullivan Court, Salem, N.H.
r Chris Getchell, 18, of 38 Anderson Drive, Methuen
r Ryan Bell, 19, of 2 Elmsmere Ave., Salem, N.H.
r Shaun Dupuis, 20, of 62 Hillside Ave., Lawrence
r Timothy Hinton, 20, 5 Gill Ave., Methuen
r Vinny Bruno, 18, of 51 Baremeadow St., Methuen
r An unidentified 16-year-old girl from Windham, N.H.
They are all entitled to hearings before a Lawrence District Court clerk magistrate who will determine if there is enough evidence to proceed with criminal charges and arraignments.
Romero said the issue of underage drinking is something the Police Department deals with routinely.
"No good comes from it," he said.
Dupuis lives in the apartment where the home invasion allegedly occurred. He told police two men, armed with a bat and knife, forced their way into his apartment and tried to rob them.
Officers soon found one of the suspects, an unidentified 20-year-old man who was bleeding heavily from a cut to his wrist. He was airlifted to Massachusetts General Hospital but his injuries were not life-threatening, police said.
He had not been charged as of late last night.
Police said they believe the men previously bought marijuana at the Hillside Avenue apartment and went there to get more — this time without paying for it.
Romero said police have two concurrent investigations underway. Some detectives are investigating the home invasion report, while others are focused on the underage drinking party.
The apartment was littered with empty beer cans, a police report said. Dozens of empty cans were found on the floor and on tables. There also were "about five empty cases of Bud Light in the hallway right before you enter the apartment," according to the report written by Patrolman Thadeus Czarnecki Jr.
In December, Koontz accepted responsibility for creating two hit lists and a MySpace Web site on which some of her fellow Central Catholic High School classmates were threatened.
Charges of threatening to commit assault and battery and threatening to commit mayhem were continued without a finding for 18 months. Koontz was placed on probation for 18 months, ordered to stay away from Central Catholic, and to continue counseling.
Koontz, who transferred to Methuen High School, was warned in court that if she got into trouble during her 18 months of probation, the continuance of her case could be revoked, guilty findings imposed, and she could be sentenced to jail.
Kattar was originally charged with possession of a hoax device and making a bomb threat — charges that were later dropped. Other charges included creating a school disturbance, malicious destruction of property valued over $250, and vandalizing a building.
On March 14, he was sentenced to 60 days in jail, suspended for two years. He also was ordered to attend a fire safety class, avoid drugs and alcohol, pay restitution, and perform 50 hours of community service, according to the district attorney's office.
Attorneys for Koontz and Kattar could not be reached for comment.
