A year after a Halloween gathering in Queen Creek became the precursor to a tragedy, news has emerged that the homeowners who hosted the event won't be facing criminal charges. On the somber anniversary of the attack on East Valley teen Preston Lord, which followed the party and led to his death two days later, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix.
Despite the Queen Creek Police Department's recommendation for misdemeanor charges against Emily and Roberto Correa, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office has decided not to proceed, as noted by FOX 10 Phoenix. The charges suggested were "criminal nuisance" and "contributing to the delinquency of a minor", but the prospect of a conviction was deemed unlikely.
The absence of charges appears rooted in the absence of evidence, particularly regarding the provision of alcohol to minors. "In order to prove the charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor the prosecution would have to show that the parents knew or deliberately furnished alcohol to the minors that were at the party. There wasn’t any evidence of that," criminal defense attorney Jason Lamm explained, in a statement obtained by Arizona's Family.
On the other hand, the prosecutors acknowledged that while the parents did not act as swiftly as preferred during the initial disturbance, their response did not elevate to criminal negligence. "While the parents’ failures to carefully manage their property and act sooner than the lapse of 40 to 45 minutes are not ideal, these lapses do not rise to the level of crimes under the law," according to a disposition letter, per Arizona's Family.
