12 hospitalized after drunken party with dozens of CWU students

ROSLYN, Wash. -- Police say they will begin coordinating interviews with dozens of Central Washington University students who attended a drunken house party in Roslyn where drinks were apparently spiked, sending 12 young people to the hospital.

All but one of the patients had been released by late Saturday afternoon, said Scott Ferguson, chief of the Cle Elum-Roslyn-South Cle Elum Police Department.

Eleven of the overdose or poisoning victims were women.

The last remaining patient had been in critical condition at Kittitas Valley Community Hospital, but her status was later upgraded, Ferguson said.

He said it was disturbing that people at the party didn't call authorities to report there were unconscious victims there.

"I hate to think what could have happened had we waited longer," he said, calling the incident "absolutely unprecedented" in the Roslyn area.

Central President James Gaudino said the university would begin a lengthy process to sanction any students who were involved.

"It's certainly our sense that this is an isolated event," he said.

Despite the size of the party -- about 50 people were said to be present -- neighbors apparently saw and heard nothing that caused them to call the authorities.

The partygoers were mainly underage Central students and their friends. The party occurred at a weekend home belonging to the parents of a Central student, Ferguson said.

That student has been cooperating with the investigation, the chief added.

Ferguson said investigators suspect that someone spiked drinks that were intended for the young women in attendance. The symptoms described are typical of a date rape drug, but Ferguson said an extensive search of the home did not uncover any drug evidence.

Police said they were investigating a possible rape involving a couple at the party, but they said they could not confirm that there was a widespread plan to sexually assault the intoxicated women.

A Kittitas County sheriff's deputy reported seeing a man performing a sex act on his semi-conscious girlfriend. The man was not arrested, but the incident remains under investigation because of the woman's possible inability to consent.

Four city officers and several sheriff's deputies went to the home, in the 300 block of East Washington Avenue, shortly after 11 p.m. Friday. They had received a report from friends of an unconscious young woman who had been driven to the parking lot of the Safeway store in Cle Elum.

Officers had to force their way into the home because nobody would answer the door, Ferguson said. They found numerous partygoers either unconscious or semi-conscious, some of them hiding in cubbyholes or curled up in attic insulation, he said.

Intoxicated partygoers were still being found in the house up to an hour after officers arrived. Many were "incredibly intoxicated," with breath tests showing alcohol readings that would have put them more than three times over the legal limit for driving, Ferguson said.

Some of the partygoers fled the home. Three of those who were later hospitalized were found in the neighborhood.

Most of those at the party
were identified, Ferguson said.

He said the party was organized through text messages among students in Central's dorm system, where many freshmen are required to live.

Ferguson declined to elaborate on what charges may be considered against those involved. He said the investigation will first focus on the source of any drugs that may have been placed in the drinks.

Toxicology tests on the patients will be requested through a state crime lab.

Ferguson said that although underage parties and occasional drink spikings happen in the Cle Elum area, it was unusual to have such a large-scale incident. The community is also not a typical party spot for Central students, he said.

Officers had only been able to interview a few of the students so far. He said his officers will work with detectives from the Ellensburg Police Department and Central Washington University as they continue the investigation.

Volunteers from fire departments as far away as Ellensburg responded to the incident with eight ambulances and rescue rigs.

The victims were treated at hospitals in Ellensburg and Yakima.

"We were having to use all of our emergency services and then some," Ferguson said.

Central Washington University Police Chief Steve Rittereiser told The Seattle Times his department and the sheriff's office drove 27 of the drunk students back to the campus housing. "It was quite a ride," he said.

Rittereiser said underage drinking is a predominant problem on campus. On-campus arrests for alcohol possession, however, decreased from 113 in 2007 to 89 last year.

Student surveys show that binge drinking has declined below the national average, according to a university report.

Central Washington students may be suspended or face other sanctions because of their involvement in the house party, university officials said in a statement.

Besides suspension, students could be ordered to take an intensive drug and alcohol education course or undergo assessment and treatment for drug and alcohol use.

The school has one of the state's strictest policies governing off-campus conduct, according to the statement. Freshmen students receive information meant to reduce the risk of drug and alcohol abuse and sexual assault before school starts and during the year.

Students are in the middle of their first six-week course addressing those topics, according to the statement.

Gaudino, CWU's president, said he hoped that the Roslyn incident would not inspire other students to repeat the experience.

"If anything, this is an example of the negative consequences of putting yourself in high-risk situations," he said.

* Mark Morey can be reached at 509-577-7671 or mmorey@yakimaherald.com.

Editor's note: This story has been changed to correct the number of students arrested on campus for alcohol possession.