A Gardnerville man and his roommate were sentenced to five weekends in jail after they admitted doing nothing to stop a party at their Rubio Way home which attracted 50 teenagers, many of whom were drinking alcohol.
David Lee Chavez, 44, and Michael Anderson Sullivan, 45, pleaded guilty Monday in East Fork Justice Court to contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The men were arrested early April 29 after deputies were called to a party reportedly hosted by Chavez's 16-year-old son.
Seventeen minors were issued citations at the party for underage drinking.
Deputies arrived shortly after 11 p.m. and observed numerous vehicles parked on the property, and beer cans, beer bottles and cups littering the ground. Juveniles also were observed attempting to dump alcohol and throwing away beer cans and bottles.
Chavez told East Fork Justice Jim EnEarl on Monday his son wanted to invite a few friends over and he didn't know how the crowd grew to 50 guests.
Sullivan said he noticed the alcohol at the party but did nothing to remove it.
The men were sentenced to 180 days in Douglas County Jail with 170 days suspended for one year.
They each were fined $632 and are forbidden to allow anyone in the residence under the age of 21 with the exception of Chavez's son or to have alcohol on the premises.
Assistant District Attorney Mike McCormick said he hoped the sentencings would send a message.
"We can't tolerate that sort of behavior," McCormick said. "Every year, we lose too many young people because of underage drinking."
