Not in Driver's Seat

[Grannie]

What is the name of your state? SC

17 year old girl arrested for alcohol possession while a passenger in her own car and some quantity of beer in back seat. Both driver & back seat passenger were also underage & I believe driver was charged with DUI & maybe no license, in addition to underage possession. Girl says there was no beer in car,ha ha!! All spent a night in jail. What are we looking at here? (I'm opposed to making this go away, but I'm in the minority)What is the name of your state?

 

[racer72]

What are we looking at here?

The 17 year old girl is looking at a stiff fine, probation and possibly loss of her driving priveliges till she is 21.

 

[Grannie]

Not in Driver's seat

Is every underage person in vehicle considered to be "in possession"of alcohol? As the owner of car, does she have any additional responsibility?

 

[Happy Trails]

Is every underage person in vehicle considered to be "in possession"of alcohol? As the owner of car, does she have any additional responsibility?

They all could be charged with possession, because they all were guilty of that.

Having an open container of beer or wine in a moving vehicle of any kind, except in the trunk or luggage compartment is a fine of up to $100 or imprisonment for up to 30 days.
S.C. Code Ann. Section 61-4-110

Possession of beer, wine, or other fermented beverages is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $25 to $100.

Possession of alcoholic liquors is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $100 to $200 and/or imprisonment of up to 30 days.

Driver’s license is suspended for 90 days for the first offense and six months for a second or subsequent offense.

If they are still students, violating any alcohol-related laws has additional penalties (besides those cited previously) include:

**ineligibility for state-funded grants and/or scholarships; and
**ineligibility for the refundable state individual income tax credit.
S.C. Code Ann. Sections 59-149-90, 12-6-3385

 

[Grannie]

Not in Driver's seat

Thanks for the information. I would prefer that these consequences stop this behavior before there are worse consequences. Then again, I'm not in the driver's seat either!