by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Harry Shorstein tries education.
Mark Borello isn’t above begging.
Sometimes either works. Too often, neither does.
To State Attorney Shorstein and Assistant State Attorney Borello, underage consumption of alcohol is a major problem both have been addressing for years. Shorstein went through Winn-Dixie to get $50,000 to make a 16-minute video he shows to high school kids around prom time. Borello will run a sting operation in a second to help bust adults serving teens alcohol in a bar or parents allowing drinking in their home.
“We have taken extraordinary steps to prosecute these cases,” said Shorstein.
Those comments come on the heels of Shorstein’s decision to drop sexual assault charges related to a June party in Neptune Beach. Due to the nature of the investigation, the sexual assault charges made the headlines. Below the surface, Julie Schlax — director of the office’s Special Assaults Division — was also investigating the adults who rented the home and those who attended the party.
Eventually, Shorstein and Schlax determined there wasn’t enough evidence to pursue charges against anyone for contributing to the delinquency of a minor (or minors) primarily due to the repeated insistence that none of the kids saw the parents and the parents’ claim they had no idea alcohol was being consumed on the first floor of the two-story home.
“Every child interviewed indicated they never saw the parents come downstairs,” said Schlax during a Tuesday press conference.
Hence the office’s biggest obstacle in charging adults with contributing to the delinquency of the minor — denial.
“It’s really, really hard,” said Borello of pursuing charges against the of-age adults. “It’s probably one of the hardest to investigate and prosecute. A wall of silence goes up.”
Borello says that wall is put up by the kids and the parents. The kids don’t want to admit they were drinking and the parents deny knowledge about what was going on inside, in the next room, across the street or at the home while they were gone.
Both Shorstein and Borello admit the issue is a problem regardless of socioeconomic status. Adults buying teens alcohol doesn’t discriminate along race, gender or social class lines.
Shorstein chooses to focus on education. His video comes in both a 16-minute and 8-minute format. The video depicts the consequences of bars and restaurants serving underage kids.
“We have shown it and shared it around the county when we speak to the senior classes before prom,” said Shorstein. “It features three (vehicular) homicides, one of which is not in Jacksonville, but we use it anyway. After the video, there isn’t a dry eye anywhere.”
Borello will go the sting operation route. Often this involves using an underage person — he says neither males nor females prove more effective — with a hidden camera in their hat or clothes who enter stores in an attempt to buy alcohol.
“Unfortunately, they are usually successful,” said Borello. “When we do our sting operations, frankly we are disappointed because they are usually able to buy.”
House parties are another matter and Borello says they require cooperation and prior knowledge. Again, hidden cameras are used.
“If the kids have a beer in their hand, that’s all we need,” he said.
Like Shorstein, Borello believes the key to preventing underage drinking and the potentially-deadly consequences is education. He goes to the schools as well and, often through the use of brutally honest and tough language, talks to the kids about drinking and what can happen.
“I am not sure it does any good,” he conceded. “I have begged people to tell us in advance (about house parties). We will put someone in jail.”
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