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"Graduation Boozer" Ends in Protective Custody of 70 NH Minors

by UNCENSORED NEWS | June 8, 2010 at 08:24 am

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Two Harvard University employees, and husband and wife, Drs. Jon and Theona Boyd have been arrested for allegedly allowing more than 70 minors to consume alcohol at a party Sunday night that took place in Weare, New Hampshire. The party was held after graduation ceremonies at a Concord, NH high school.

The minors were graduates of St. Paul's High School of Concord, New Hampshire and were taken into custody completely by surprise. At approximately 11 pm. police rounded up over 70 minor children at the "boozer party" that was organized and supervised by Drs. Jon and Theona Boyd, ages 49 and 46 years-old, both doctors from Harvard. The children were placed into overnight protective custody and their parents were notified .

Both adults make their residence in Needham, MA and were released on personal recogizance of less than 1000 dollars before arraignment proceedings against them to convict them for child endangerment and several other charges.

A Needham couple was arrested in New Hampshire on Sunday night after police said they busted an underage drinking party. Weare, NH police were called to a house on Martin Road at about 11 p.m., where they said they found numerous juveniles in possession of or under the influence of alcohol. Police said the minors were celebrating their graduation from St. Paul's High School in Concord. By the end of the night, police from Weare, Henniker, Hopkinton, Dunbarton and New Boston took more than 70 minors into protective custody. Police identified the adults arrested as Theonia Boyd, 49, and Jon Boyd, 46, both of Needham. They were released on $500 personal recognizance bail, pending arraignment later this month on charges of facilitating an underage alcohol house party.

Jon Boyd said he and his wife had agreed to host the party only on the condition there be no alcohol or drugs and his daughter had made that clear when she sent e-mail invitations to the entire graduating class. He said he warned the party-goers at the celebration that anything found would be confiscated. "When the food arrived we actually stood on a table, my wife and I, and said, 'Everyone needs to agree: no alcohol, no drugs," Jon Boyd said. "And we didn't actually see anyone alcohol. We didn't see drinking, we didn't see beer cans." Boyd's wife, Theonia Boyd, is a pathologist and teacher at Harvard Medical School and John Boyd is a psychiatrist there. Jon Boyd he said he was surprised when police showed him photos of beer containers strewn in the yard because he was chaperoning the party all night and was playing ping pong with one of the guests when the police arrived. He said none of the kids seemed intoxicated. "It's a really terrible thing. We feel really horrible. Obviously, we're responsible. We're the adults there. But we didn't procure the alcohol. We didn't condone it and we, three different times, said 'Zero tolerance,'" Boyd said. He said his daughter is "mortified," because she was trying to do something nice for her friends. He said he and his wife have replayed events over and over in their minds and their big mistake was saying yes to the party in the first place. Weare police said there were so many people under 21 at the party that they had to call in officers from four other towns to help. Boyd said he and wife will fight any charges against them.