Tests on cheerleader show alcohol levels well past legal limit

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"Patty" aie...@iuyc.com

Tests on cheerleader show alcohol levels well past legal limit Saturday, January 17, 2004 BY AL FRANK Star-Ledger  (NJ) The 18-year-old Randolph cheerleader who fell to her death from a hotel balcony in Hawaii had alcohol levels in her body that were more than twice the legal limit for driving.
Tests on her urine and blood put the alcohol concentrations in Lauren Crossan's body at 0.17 and 0.18, respectively, or more than double the 0.08 that can trigger drunken-driving charges, Lt. Tivoli Faaumu said yesterday.
"For an 18-year-old woman that's significant," said forensic pathologist Anthony Manoukian, who performed Crossan's autopsy.
Faaumu and Manoukian said the findings give investigators another clue in determining why Crossan fell from the ninth-floor balcony of the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa some time after 1:30 a.m. on Monday.
"A young person like that doesn't have great experience with alcohol," Manoukian said yesterday. On top of that, he said, Crossan was also likely fighting jet lag and fatigue at a time when her body clock was telling her it was about 6 a.m.
"All those factors could have contributed to altered perception and help explain the position she found herself in," Manoukian said.
Scheduled to perform in a halftime show at college football's Hula Bowl today, the Randolph High School senior and two friends had been drinking in the hours after they arrived at the 40-acre resort late Sunday afternoon after a 13-hour flight, police said.
At some point, Crossan left her companions to accompany another guest to his room. She called one of her friends about 1:30 a.m. to say she was fine and would soon rejoin them, but never did, according to police.
The girls and their chaperone made an unsuccessful search with hotel security, but Faaumu said police were not called until 7:45 a.m. after Crossan's unclothed body was spotted in the shrubbery by a guest on another balcony.
The drinking age in Hawaii is 21.
Faaumu said no alcohol was found in the room Crossan visited and general manager Barry Lewin said the hotel does not know where the young people obtained alcohol.
"That's what police are looking into," Lewin said, adding that the hotel is cooperating in the investigation.
The Crossans' attorney, James Krueger, said he was astonished by the finding.
"She's a minor, the two boys she was with were minors, so I'm curious where they got the alcohol," he said.
Krueger said he has hired a private investigator to trace Crossan's activities from the time her plane landed and questioned whether she may have been under the influence of a so-called "date rape" drug.
"There is reason to suspect that," he said. "This is a girl with an impeccable reputation, so that what we are finding out is grossly inconsistent with that." Manoukian said a toxicology report, due in two weeks, will pinpoint whether such drugs or other compounds were in Crossan's system. He said the initial urine and blood tests are geared to detect only alcohol and drugs typically abused.
Meanwhile, police said the balcony's railing is fastened to the top of masonry blocks, rising about a foot off the floor. Faaumu said the blocks are wide enough to provide an area to stand and, by stepping on them, Crossan could have gained enough height to fall over if she lost her balance.
"The only drawback, or issue, is we don't have any physical evidence or any statement from anybody to substantiate that," Faaumu said. "That's why, right now, we're leaving it open, hoping we may learn something more in the future." Crossan's wake will be held tomorrow from 2:30 to 7 p.m. at the Tuttle Funeral Home, 272 Route 10, in Randolph.
Her funeral is to be held Monday at 11 a.m. at Resurrection Catholic Church, 651 Millbrook Ave. She is to be entombed at the Locust Hill Mausoleum in Dover.
Instead of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to the Lauren E. Crossan Scholarship Fund, 50 Cliffwood Road, Chester, N.J. 07930.

"Bo Raxo" invasions_r...@thepentagon.removethis.com

No surprise.
<snip> WTF? She's 18.  *Not* a minor.  The other two were slightly older IIRC (19, 20?).  Not legal drinking age, but not minors.  Adults.  Able to drive, ****, sign contracts, rent hotel rooms, etc.
This plays in to the parents' complaining about the supervision.  She was 18.  An adult.  Responsible for her own actions.
If the chaperone on the trip had called the cops to report her missing, they would have brushed it off: because she was an adult.

maggie8 ...@aol.comSPAMBLOC (Maggie)

***Just another example of the stupid alcoholic beverage laws in the US.
Apparently these laws lull some people into a false belief that an 18-year-old is still a minor as long as they can't drink.   Maggie "Here??™s a quick note from the estate of the late Senator Strom Thurmond ??“ Happy Kwanzaa!" -- Jay Leno

"tinydancer" tinydan...@nospam.com

But not able to buy booze is what they are referring to here IMO.  As for the 'rent hotel rooms', that all depends upon the establishment.  If we've seen the name of the hotel referred to here, I can't remember it right now, which large chain it was?  Because  where we live, many of the hotels won't rent rooms to kids under 21, especially in resort areas.  I know this because when my daughters used to go to the beach for weekends, there were many places that wouldn't rent to them, even if I put the room in my name.
If I wasn't accompanying them, they wouldn't rent the room.  Some would, but IIRC those were more the 'local' hotels/motels, not the large chains.
She was on a school sponsored trip though.
td

"Dave C." spammers...@ahorribledeath.now

OK, so she's on a school-sponsored trip, and she murders someone.  Is the school now responsible?  The fact that she's on a school sponsored trip doesn't change the fact that she is an adult and responsible for her own actions.  -Dave

"tinydancer" tinydan...@nospam.com

I didn't say she wasn't responsible for her actions, merely pointed out the fact that because it was a school sponsored trip, a chaperone was obviously sent along on that trip 'for a reason'.
td

"Dave C." spammers...@ahorribledeath.now

OK, so are we now going to blame a chaperone for the actions of an adult?
Interesting.  -Dave

"tinydancer" tinydan...@nospam.com

Do you have kids, Dave?  If so, have your kids ever gone on 'school sponsored' trips?  If so, did you allow them to go *after* checking on the arrangements/chaperone's?  If the arrangements and chaperone's were not to your liking, did you still allow kid to go on said trip?  If the chaperone was of no use or value, why send one?  I'm confused as to your definition of a school sponsored trip and the need for a chaperone on such a trip?
td

"Patty" aie...@iuyc.com

...
: : "Bo Raxo" <invasions_r...@thepentagon.removethis.com> wrote in message : ...
: > : > "Patty" <aie...@iuyc.com> wrote in message : > ...
: > > Tests on cheerleader show alcohol levels well past legal limit : > > Saturday, January 17, 2004 : > > BY AL FRANK : > > Star-Ledger  (NJ) : > > : > > The 18-year-old Randolph cheerleader who fell to her death from a hotel : > balcony in Hawaii : > > had alcohol levels in her body that were more than twice the legal limit : > for driving.
: > > : > > Tests on her urine and blood put the alcohol concentrations in Lauren : > Crossan's body at : > > 0.17 and 0.18, respectively, or more than double the 0.08 that can : trigger : > drunken-driving : > > charges, Lt. Tivoli Faaumu said yesterday.
: > : > No surprise.
: > : > <snip> : > > "She's a minor, the two boys she was with were minors, so I'm curious : > where they got the : > > alcohol," he said.
: > > : > : > WTF? She's 18.  *Not* a minor.  The other two were slightly older IIRC : (19, : > 20?).  Not legal drinking age, but not minors.  Adults.  Able to drive, : > ****, sign contracts, rent hotel rooms, etc.
: : : But not able to buy booze is what they are referring to here IMO.  As for : the 'rent hotel rooms', that all depends upon the establishment.  If we've : seen the name of the hotel referred to here, I can't remember it right now, : which large chain it was?  Because  where we live, many of the hotels won't : rent rooms to kids under 21, especially in resort areas.  I know this : because when my daughters used to go to the beach for weekends, there were : many places that wouldn't rent to them, even if I put the room in my name.
: If I wasn't accompanying them, they wouldn't rent the room.  Some would, but : IIRC those were more the 'local' hotels/motels, not the large chains.
: I think I vaguely remember something about not renting to young people, but it didn't really have to do with the age but that some large hotels wouldn't rent without a credit card, just like the car rentals.
: > : > This plays in to the parents' complaining about the supervision.  She was : > 18.  An adult.  Responsible for her own actions.
: : : She was on a school sponsored trip though.
: : td : That chaperone had her hands full from the first day, and there were only three girls to watch.
From the Honolulu Star Bulletin: A copy of a daily itinerary for the cheerleaders indicated that they were supposed to have a room check at 10:30 p.m. each day.
snip A preliminary autopsy by a medical examiner also found no indications of drugs in her body. There also was no evidence of sexual ***ault.
Larson had told police he had consensual sex with Crossan, but police said yesterday there was no physical evidence of sexual intercourse.
Here's more on the guys: From the Star Ledger (NJ) 1/15/03: Devorss and Larson, graduates of Folsom High School, were staying at the expensive resort on a two-week vacation, relatives said. Devorss, known as "DJ," works for his father's landscaping business and won the vacation from a supplier, said an uncle, Douglas Devorss.
Devorss and Larson have been friends since at least junior high school, Devorss' grandmother, Joyce Zanzee, said.
"DJ has had to work hard for everything he has and has never been in any serious trouble," Zanzee said.
Larson's father, Sacramento lawyer Bradley Larson, told the Sacramento Bee for today's editions that his son is "emotionally distraught" over Crossan's death.

"tinydancer" tinydan...@nospam.com

Not where we live.  I couldn't put the room in my name, on my credit card, for them.  Many of the hotels at the beach refuse to rent rooms to young people under a certain age.  I remember calling a number of different hotels in the Emerald Isle, Atlantic Beach area and being told it didn't matter if I put the room on my credit card.  If an adult, over the age of 21, wasn't accompanying them, they could not get a room.  I can't recall the name of the motel right now, but there is one nice, smaller one at Emerald Isle, that would rent to the kids, and once we found that place, that's where they usually stayed when they went, unless they were staying at someones beach house.
snipped> : > I thought they were only there a couple hours before the girl died?
Ah, the father of one is an attorney.
td

"Patty" aie...@iuyc.com

...
: : snipped> : > : > : : > That chaperone had her hands full from the first day, and there were only : three : > girls to watch.
: : : I thought they were only there a couple hours before the girl died?
: : > From the Honolulu Star Bulletin: : > : > A copy of a daily itinerary for the cheerleaders indicated that they were : supposed : > to have a room check at 10:30 p.m. each day.
: > : They arrived Sunday afternoon, so it had been like twelve hours when she died.  Most of the other cheerleading squads arrived in Hawaii on Monday so not many were there when it happened.
I don't get this one, but it's an early report 1/14 from the NJ Star-Ledger so he could have gotten the times mixed up, or maybe it was a phone call made earlier in the evening.  They said Crossan met the guys in the hotel lobby.
Excerpt Chaperoned by Mason's mother, Sue Sadler, the New Jersey teens had arrived on the island after a 13-hour flight, Rocky D'Aconti said. After eating dinner, they decided on a swim in the pool. Michelle D'Aconti, her father said, called Crossan's cell phone to confirm the swim after the group separated.
"She said, 'I'll be there,' but she never showed," the father said.

maggie8 ...@aol.comSPAMBLOC (Maggie)

***I think that hotel broke the law.  Eighteen year olds are adults and legally innkeepers cannot discriminate against them.  I found this article in a Hotel & Motel Management Magazine: Hotels wrestle with renting to teens.(Renting hotel rooms to teenagers on prom or graduation nights)(Government Activity)(Brief Article) Hotel &Motel Management , Jan 14, 2002,  by Dennis Blank NATIONAL REPORT--The issue of whether to rent hotel rooms to teenagers, especially on prom or graduation nights, continues to confront owners and managers. Most hotels don't want the potential problem of a rowdy bunch of teenagers destroying their rooms, but how to say no is debated.
Recently in Florida, several managers raised questions about their legal liability if they refused to rent aroom to anyone younger than 18 years old.
One resort owner wanted to know if he could print a restriction on his promotional brochure stating that no one younger than 25 would be admitted to the property.
"Throughout the years, there have been instances of high school students renting a room for parties and then trashing the room ," said Thomas A. Waits, president and c.e.o. of the Florida Hotel &Motel ***n. "Many attempted to curtail this by not renting rooms to teenagers, but the problem is compounded when the parents rent it ahead of time for their kids." States such as California and Minnesota p***ed legislation and issued guidelines about restricting teenage guests. The California Hotel &Motel ***n.
guidelines summarize the issue: "Innkeepers face a real dilemma. They are afraid they might be legally liable if they refuse to rent guestrooms to minors on those occasions, and they might also be held liable if they make guestrooms available." "You cannot discriminate because of age," said Jerry Livingston, an Orlando lawyer and legal counsel to the Florida Hotel &Motel ***n. "Age is included in the Civil Rights Act. You are taking a big risk at your operation if you are restricting because of age." Even so, many Florida hoteliers said they do refuse teenagers. Generally, most hotels require guests to be 18 or older, said G. Gary Brown, a motel owner in Daytona Beach and chairman of FH&MA.
"We had several problems with teenagers," said Mario Mendez, ***istant manager at the Surfside Inn in Jacksonville Beach, Fla. "It was just one teenager, and then he brings a whole bunch of other people, and they trash the place." Now guests have to be 21 or older to rent aroom , he said, and there have been no problems for at least a year.
In New York, the law is vague as it applies to people younger than 18 , said Dan Murphy, president of the New York State Hospitality ***n. There are no state laws that prevent a hotel from renting to teenagers, he said.
"It can best be described as a gray area," Murphy said. "It is the age group between 16 and 18 where potential for problems exist." Frustrated hotel owners want answers on how to control rowdy teenagers.
"The problem is that in many states they do not have a law that says that you can decline to rent to a certain age," said Banks Brown, counsel for the American Hotel & Lodging ***n. "A hotel that does not rent will probably violate some common-law principle. That doesn't mean you allow them to run roughshod. You don't rent aroom for a party. That's what meeting rooms are for." Hotel owners should tell teenagers that they are welcome, Brown said, but notify their parents or child welfare authorities. In addition, Brown suggested all liquor be removed from the minibars. In cases where there are problems, such as parties or illegal drug use, the guests should be warned to leave, he said, and if they do not, the police should be called.
? 
Maggie "Here??™s a quick note from the estate of the late Senator Strom Thurmond ??“ Happy Kwanzaa!" -- Jay Leno

"tinydancer" tinydan...@nospam.com

Well, at least when my girls were in this age bracket, many of the large hotels along the beach refused to rent rooms to anyone under the age of 21 without an attending adult.  I remember calling a number of them one year to reserve a room.   Many of the rentals, condo's and such, also won't rent to kids.  IIRC, the place where I used to reserve rooms for them was called 'The Islander' in Emerald Isle.  It's right on the beachfront and the rooms are decent.  You might want to hang on to this info. for future reference.
;-) td

"Cricket" cc...@quixnet.net

My ***umption was that the chaperone was (possibly legally) necessary to watch out for any kids under eighteen.  I missed the first post though, so maybe that said there weren't any.

"Anon" no...@nohow.not

If the "kid" was 18 or older, I wouldn't expect to have a say in whether the "kid" went on a school sponsored trip or not.  That is, unless the "kid" was asking me to pay for said trip.  Even in that case, I wouldn't expect to have  yes/no authority over whether the "kid" was going . . . only whether I was going to finance it or not.  I agree . . . if the chaperone was of no use or value, why send one?  I'm really curious as to why a chaperone went.
If all the students were adults, there shouldn't have been a need for a chaperone.  In any case, the "chaperone" should not have concerned him/herself with the business of an adult, even if the chaperone was sent to watch minors.
On a side note, why are college students often referred to as "college kids" when 99% or more are in fact adults?  -Dave

"tinydancer" tinydan...@nospam.com

Many of these sorts of trips are paid for by fundraising events sponsored by the school.  If some or all of the funds used for this trip were part of a school sponsored activity, and the school sent along a chaperone, then I'd guess that chaperone had a duty, especially if her trip was all or partially funded by the school, cheerleading squad or some sports organization within the school system.
td   I agree . . . if the chaperone was of no

"Anon" no...@nohow.not

If the school was stupid enough to send a chaperone to watch over a group of adults, then the school was stupid enough to ***ume some degree of legal responsibility for the actions of adults who shouldn't need a chaperone.  I can see a case like this causing that practice to stop ASAP.  What if the parents of the 18 year old sue the school now?  The school doesn't have much of a defense if that happens.  The school can't on the one hand treat the girl as a child and then on the other hand claim that they are not responsible for the actions of an adult.  -Dave

brdzrb ...@aol.comnothanks (Brdzrbest)

The trip was not sponsored by any school according to The Star Ledger.  The three young women were accompanied by the mother of one of them.  There does not appear to have been any attempt to "chaperone" at all.  There was some sporadic cell phone contact.  In fact, the family's lawyer is looking at the National Cheerleads ***ociation of Dallas, who sponsored the event in Hawaii at the Hula Bowl in which the three were supposed to participate, because there is no one else on the horizon to "blame" so far.  Unless they go after the mother who was along on the trip ... the whole thing is sad and senseless.

"tinydancer" tinydan...@nospam.com

I don't know if this part of the article has been posted here or not, but it has a bit of personal information I hadn't read before.
<Crossan's death stunned friends, cl***mates and fellow cheerleaders at Randolph High School, where the teen was known as a standout athlete.
Crossan served as captain of the cheerleading team's competition squad, a highly drilled unit that competed against squads from other schools.
She and two other seniors, Michelle D'Aconti and Mandy Mason, were chosen in June by the National Cheerleading ***ociation to perform with nearly 600 other cheerleaders from across the nation at the Hula Bowl's televised halftime show in Maui.
D'Aconti's father, Rocky, called the teens' selection as "All American Cheerleaders" the culmination of years of hard work.
"These girls have been cheerleading for years, and we figured it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to go to Hawaii, so why not let them go," D'Aconti said. "But as fast as they got there, it turned bad." Chaperoned by Mason's mother, Sue Sadler, the New Jersey teens had arrived on the island after a 13-hour flight, Rocky D'Aconti said. After eating dinner, they decided on a swim in the pool. Michelle D'Aconti, her father said, called Crossan's cell phone to confirm the swim after the group separated.
"She said, 'I'll be there,' but she never showed," the father said.
Reached in Maui, Sadler declined comment.
Crossan's room was located in one of three towers in the hotel, a 40-acre resort on Ka'anapali Beach. The room occupied by the two men was in another tower.
The daughter of Charles and Diane Crossan, Lauren has a younger sister, Kimberly, a junior at Randolph High. Charles Crossan works in the sewer and water division of Randolph's public works department.
"She was full of life," neighbor Barbara Todd said. "That's a mother's worst fear. There are just no words for it." Angelo Sansano, a neighbor for six years, remembers how Charles Crossan doted on his daughters, sometimes playing catch with them, sometimes just sitting on the steps talking with them.
"I don't know how you deal with a situation like that," Sansano said.
Sansano's wife, Lisa, said Crossan was known as a friendly and athletic girl.
"It's just horrible," she said.
Crossan's big smile, her skill and her dedication earned her placement at the front of the squad during competitions, and her strength made her a "base," a cheerleader responsible for catching her teammates during jumps.
"She never let anyone fall," said Nicole Ciolko, a Randolph High graduate and former team captain.
Whenever another girl -- a "flyer" -- launched into a high-altitude 360-degree spin, "Lauren always had her arms up the highest to make sure she'd catch her before she got anywhere near the ground," Ciolko said. "She was just a very strong girl." The team was extremely tight-knit, practicing five times a week and traveling to games and competitions on weekends. Crossan attended a national competition in Florida with the high school team last year, Ciolko said.
"Lauren always wanted to go to nationals," she said. "She loved to compete." In addition to leading the competition squad, Crossan cheered for the wrestling, basketball and football teams and served as the basketball statistician, Vice Principal Rick Martone said. As a freshman and sophomore, the teen played on the softball team.
Yesterday, Martone recalled seeing the three Hawaii-bound girls in the school on Friday.
"They were here, and couldn't wait (to go)," the administrator said. "They said, 'Wish us luck.'" Martone said crisis counselors, teachers and coaches were available to grieving students yesterday. Many students, especially Crossan's fellow cheerleaders, took advantage of the sessions throughout the day, Martone said.
"It's been a very difficult day," he said.> http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1074064200125100.xml?... ger?nnj td

maggie8 ...@aol.comSPAMBLOC (Maggie)

***This is correct and, like you, I really worry for that other mother because I suspect the parents *do* blame her.  I'm hoping that if she does get sued the judge tosses the case because the daughter was an adult, but you never know.
This is a good lesson for parents who don't realize that in the eyes of the law their 18-year-old is an adult.
But there *is* at least one other entity ripe for and, perhaps, deserving of, suit and that is whoever sold them the liquor.  If the parents ever find that person/business he/it will no doubt pay.
Maggie "Here??™s a quick note from the estate of the late Senator Strom Thurmond ??“ Happy Kwanzaa!" -- Jay Leno

"Dave C." spammers...@ahorribledeath.now

Why target the source of the liquor?  What if she had fallen off the balcony and her BAC was zero?  Are we going to sue budweiser (for example) for allowing some of their beer to be carried off the balcony of the hotel?
(note I don't know if she was drinking budweiser, just throwing out an example off the top of my head) Look, I know it was illegal for the 18 year old to be drinking.  I also know that there's no guarantee this accident wouldn't have happened if the girl was sober.  When I was growing up, it would not have been illegal for this girl to consume alcohol.  In fact, the U.S. has such a significant teen alcohol abuse problem partly because of the fact that the legal drinking age EXISTS.  I've visited countries with no minimum drinking age, and alcohol abuse AT ANY AGE is much less of a problem than it is in the U.S.  I don't think it is right, therefore, to blame this on whoever supplied the alcohol.
If the adult woman hadn't gotten the alcohol from X, she would have gotten it from Y.  It doesn't make sense to tell a person that she is an adult, and also tell her that it's illegal for her to purchase alcohol.  I mean, she can go to war and die in a mustard gas attack, but she can't have a beer now and then?  Come on.  -Dave

maggie8 ...@aol.comSPAMBLOC (Maggie)

***...because it is illegal to sell liquor to people under the age of 21.
What if she had fallen off the balcony ***Well, then, the liquor wouldn't be targeted.  Duh.
Are we going to sue budweiser (for example) for ***Why would anyone do that?
***Exactly.  But the presumption will always be that the alcohol contributed.
Surely you don't think that's an unreasonable ***umption.
When I was growing up, it would not have been illegal for this ***I agree that the alcohol laws in the US are ridiculous.
I don't ***She could only have gotten it from someone who broke the law, though.  No innocent alcohold purveyors could be liable.
 It doesn't make sense to tell a person that she is an adult, ***I agree, but it *is* the law.
Maggie "Here??™s a quick note from the estate of the late Senator Strom Thurmond ??“ Happy Kwanzaa!" -- Jay Leno

"Ted Kerin" tf.ke...@gte.net

As an alternative theory, there have been numerous instances of young people falling at hotels when they try to leap from one balcony to the next. (I never heard of it happening with a naked woman, but ... if she was feeling wild enough to cavort outside naked, she might have tried something this bold and foolish.) I don't know whether the structure of this hotel makes that a possible scenario, but I hope the investigators are questioning the occupants of adjacent rooms.

"Ted Kerin" tf.ke...@gte.net

Oh, and after reading the mention of swimming, I wonder whether the death scene was on the side of the hotel that overlooks the pool. Sometimes people with impaired judgment delude themselves into thinking they can dive into a pool that's too far away.