Under City of Bethel regulations, underage drinking is a minor offense. Now, the City of Bethel can prosecute it like it does all other minor offenses, and with less cost to the city.
On Tuesday, Bethel City Council unanimously passed an ordinance to adopt the state’s regulations related to underage drinking. The action completes an ordinance change made in 2014 when the city adopted all minor offenses in the State of Alaska as they currently existed.
At the time, Bethel City Council excluded adopting the offense for underage drinking. State regulations had categorized underage drinking as a criminal offense, and ruled that minors were entitled to a public defender due to the potential for jail time and the loss of their drivers licenses. The city did not want to pay attorney fees for an offense that amounted to the accused paying only a few hundred dollars in fines and so did not adopt the regulations.
The Alaska Legislature has since reclassified underage drinking as a minor offense. With the offense decriminalized, the charge no longer requires attorney representation for the accused, and the city hopes that current regulations can help intervene in a young person’s life to prevent issues with alcohol from developing.
