Does the McHi parent exist who hosts alcohol parties?

In light of the alcohol-fueled party Aug. 17 at a McAllen residence in the 4700 block of N. Bentsen Rd., which led to the tragic death of 17-year-old Nikki Rowe student Adan De La Cruz, questions in the community continue to circulate, mixed with opinions.

According to a McAllen PD report, De La Cruz, a star football player and accomplished student, slipped off the top of a gazebo as he tried to jump into a pool, which caused him to fall on his head. He was pronounced dead four days later, Aug. 21.

When police first rolled up to the residence just before midnight, it was chaos, according to the police report.

Students were seen fleeing in their cars, running to their vehicles, trying to get away, while officers found De La Cruz in the backyard, next to the pool, unresponsive with a deep laceration to the back of his head.

Subsequent to that, with the help of McAllen PD detectives who interviewed multiple people, looked at cell-phone videos of the accident and a flier posted online, which announced the party, $10 for advance tickets, $15 at the door, five people were arrested and charged with serving alcohol to minors.

Those taken into custody include 51-year-old Jaime Islas and his 17-year-old son, along with three other teens; five arrests total. All charged with crimes related to purchasing/furnishing alcohol to minors.

It’s a Felony
When asked about cases such as this, without speaking specifically about the De La Cruz fatality, Hidalgo County DA “Terry” Palacios said it’s hard to crack down on underage parties at private residences where alcohol is present because unless something happens that warrants police access to the property, it’s hard to get in, so to speak.

“Police have to have a reason to go there,” he said.

The sale of alcohol to minors, or providing it to them, is a Class A misdemeanor, said Palacios, which can carry up to one year in prison and up to a $4,000 fine.

“But if a person provides alcohol to a minor, and that minor goes and hurts someone else, or causes death to someone else, then that will upgrade it to a (state jail) felony,” said Palacios.

The maximum sentence for that is up to two years in a state jail and up to a $10,000 fine, according to the Texas Penal Code.

If you ask people around the McAllen community, whether they be parents, teachers, former students, the reaction is mixed as to what should be done to the four teens arrested and charged with supplying alcohol at the Aug. 17 party.

Some think they should be indicted by a grand jury and convicted, even if that leaves an indelible mark on their record, which will have an impact on the rest of their lives to some degree — college, work.

Others think that because the four 17-year-olds, too, are minors, as was the victim, they shouldn’t be held to the same standards as the adult charged in this case, Jaime Islas.

Then there is the lingering question — were there other adults at the party, and instead of staying to help the fatally injured teen, did they too flee the scene?

Presumably McAllen cops are still investigating this case?

Like one person informally interviewed for this story said, without attribution (no names), there are plenty of underage parties going on like this all throughout the school year, and clearly, a lot of parents are aware of them, but do nothing to stop them.

Not only that, but just as scary, if so many teens who attended the Aug. 17 party knew they were going there to presumably get drunk, why did they drive to the party? When police approached the scene, as described in the police report, many could be seen scrambling to their vehicles to get away as quick as they could.

How many drunk teenage drivers were there on the road that night?

Email Us a Tip
All of the people interviewed for this story, however, say that something needs to be done to try and prevent them from happening in the future.

Said one, “There is a McHi parent who is well known for having these types of (alcohol-related) parties all year long.”

Apparently, the parent is a “her” who wants to be popular with “the kids.”

If that is indeed true, please feel free to share the info by sending an email to: advancenews@sbcglobal.net. In the subject line, just write: Underaged drinking.

We’d love to talk to her. Call her up out of the blue and say, “Is it true that you’re holding parties for teens and supplying them with alcohol? Care to comment?”

Even better, if anyone knows of a high school party where the plan is to serve alcohol to underaged teens, drop us a line at the same email address with the location, date, and time, and we’ll show up to take photos and approach the homeowner before the party really gets rolling.

Said one person who spoke regarding this story, “These parties have to stop.”

Teens being teens, though, many are going to do their best to gain access to alcohol to add fuel to high school parties, whether it’s with the help of a fake ID or an older friend, sibling, who will buy it for them, failing to realize the possible tragic results.

Bottom line, if the McHi-parent story is still going on this year, or if anyone knows of other parents hosting parties like the Aug. 17 one that led to the tragic death of Adan De La Cruz, drop us a line at greggbwendorf@gmail.com, or advancenews@sbcglobal.net.

You don’t have to give us your name. Or better yet, skip us altogether and call the cops before the party begins. You won’t have to leave your name. All the PDs these days, including the sheriff’s department, have Crimestoppers.

The Aug. 17 party on N. Bentsen Rd. had proof before it even began — the digital flyer being posted to some Instagram accounts announcing it — $10 for advanced tickets; $15 at the door.

Such a sad loss that could have been prevented.