Teens busted during illegal house party in vacant home

The issues continue with people breaking into Monterey County homes to host parties.

Just after midnight Monday, Sheriff’s Office deputies received information a group of teens that have been breaking into vacant homes for sale and hosting parties would be hosting a party in the Oak Hill neighborhood of northern Monterey County.

“It is easy pickings. They find houses that are abandoned or vacant. No one is living
there. They can go in. No one is going to be the wiser, until now,” Monterey County Sheriff Commander John Thornburg, said.

Eventually a large group of over 100 teens were found on Brookgrass Place. This was the third location deputies received information that partiers would be at.

Deputies began to speak to the car loads of teens. 18-year-old Christian Lee Baney of Monterey, and 19-year-old Luis Angel Navarette of Soledad, were found in one of these cars. The pair had been previously identified as being key individuals in coordinating and hosting these parties. Navarette had also been identified as attempting to incite a riot at one of the previous parties deputies broke up.

Deputies searched the vehicle they were in & found them to be in possession of prescription narcotics and alcohol. Baney was arrested for possession of the narcotics.

Baney was allegedly carrying a drug referred to as “lean.” A concoction also known as “Sizzurp” popularized years ago in rap songs. it is a mix of prescription cough syrup, containing Codeine, added to lemon-lime soda and a Jolly Ranger-type candy.

“This is appealing somehow,” Thornburg said. “It is a dangerous drink, i.e. a dangerous drug.
It is something in my 21 years in law enforcement I wasn’t familiar with it.”

Navarette was arrested for violating the terms of his probation. It was also found that the door to a nearby vacant home had been smashed in.

The pair was booked into the Monterey County Adult Detention Facility.

As of Monday, there has been no charge for trespassing or organizing these illegal parties.

“We know the door was broken in, but its proving who broke the door in. There’s where the
challenge can come about,” Thornburg said. “We have to get a hold of the homeowner.”

The large crowd was broken up Monday night.

This comes just one week after officials began seeing an uptick in similar incidents.

Mariah Best lives in the Oak Hills neighborhood and says she has heard of these parties, but surprised it would happen near her home. “It is pretty quiet over here,” Best said.

Best is concerned with what these parties could bring. “You don’t know what else they are going to do when they leave and are intoxicated driving around our neighborhood. It’s kind of scary.”