An out-of-control party on a North Carolina farm, reportedly attended by thousands of people, allegedly triggered scores of emergency calls to local 911 dispatchers, potentially endangering lives.
According to local NBC affiliate WRAL, a massive party took place on a private 30-acre farm in northern Durham County on May 2. The station obtained 911 calls from that night, revealing that both partygoers and neighbors were concerned and alarmed, particularly when some of them realized they were trapped while dealing with a medical emergency.
“This is so scary,” one caller said, according to WRAL. “My sister’s having contractions…” My driveway is currently blocked by six or seven cars, making it impossible to leave. I’ve never seen a party like this in my entire life.”
According to police, approximately 70 emergency calls were made regarding the party, which had an estimated attendance of 2,500 people. According to WRAL, the location is often used as a weekend party spot for hundreds of Duke University students.
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Additional calls included complaints from neighbors who couldn’t sleep due to the noise, a complaint about people in the road, reports of someone having an asthma attack, and reports of an unconscious person on the premises.
More than 25 police officers and first responders arrived at the farm that night, and several people were transported to nearby hospitals.
“Attendees parked along both sides of the road, blocking the flow of traffic,” Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said in a statement. “They obstructed driveways, abandoned cars in neighboring property owners’ yards, and inebriated people wandered between vehicles snarling in traffic.
Many partygoers were underage, and some drove away despite being heavily intoxicated. Others were so intoxicated that they passed out on the road.
“Responding law enforcement officers and medical first responders had great difficulty reaching those in need of assistance,” according to the sheriff. He additionally stated that “this gathering was of such a size and scope that the overall risk to attendees, community residents, and first responders was alarmingly high.”
Dwight B. Poole, 60, the owner of Smokehouse Valley Farm, was arrested days after the party, according to an Orange County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post. He is charged with six counts of aiding and abetting people under the age of 21 to consume alcohol, according to the sheriff’s office.
Poole has previously received attention as a result of farm activities. In 2018, an 18-year-old was killed on the property, and he told WRAL that he accepted no responsibility for the incident.
Aiding and abetting the acquisition of alcohol for individuals under the age of 21 in North Carolina is punishable by a $500 fine and 25 hours of community service.
