LAPORTE | Five LaPorte High School students have been suspended from school after being arrested Friday for drinking alcohol.
LaPorte County police Sgt. Mike Kellems said all of the students were intoxicated and some to the point where they couldn't stand up straight.
About 9:30 a.m., a staff member discovered a 16-year-old girl lapsing in and out of consciousness inside a girl's bathroom, police said.
A nearly empty bottle of vodka and small amount of marijuana were found in her possession.
As a precaution, the girl was taken by ambulance to IU Health LaPorte Hospital.
Kellems said information quickly developed that three other students had also been drinking and possibly were in possession of alcohol.
Those students ages 15, 16, and 17 were called out of their classrooms and tested positive for alcohol consumption, police said.
Two of those students were found with water bottles that contained an alcoholic beverage, most likely vodka, police said.
Just before classes were dismissed, a staff member found a 14-year-old girl who appeared intoxicated inside a boy's locker room.
Kellems said her blood alcohol level was .25.
The girl became extremely combative kicking and hitting Kellems and other police officers who she also spit on.
Kellems, who also was bitten by the girl, sustained just minor injuries.
"In 25 years of law enforcement, it was one of the most violent arrests that I have ever been involved in. You wouldn't think that from a 14-year-old. She was just incredibly violent,'' said Kellems.
Officers gained control over the girl only after her legs were shackled, she was pepper sprayed and a spit hood placed over her head to take her into custody.
Kellems said he believes the first four students arrested had been drinking together at some point during the day.
He's not sure if the drinking by those students was linked to the youngest girl's consumption of alcohol.
All of the students have been charged with underage drinking and were suspended from school, said Kellems.
Kellems said the first girl found intoxicated also was charged with possession of marjuana while the young girl was hit with additional charges, including battery.
"You put vodka in a water bottle you can't tell the difference between the two until you see some type of abnormal behavior. That's how we generally catch them," said Kellems.
Kellems said about one third of the arrests in schools here involve consumption of alcohol.
"Alcohol is a drug. It's probably one of the most dangerous drugs that are out there because it's so accepted by society," said Kellems.
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