340 Amity Street, Amherst
Amherst police busted a party house located on Amity Street, a busy road but still a residential neighborhood, near midnight on Friday and all five of them accepted the typical plea deal offered by the prosecution:
Pay the town bylaw ticket fee ($300) and stay out of trouble for the next four months and the charge of "unlawful noise" is dismissed.
A gaggle of offenders
As the five of them crowded around the front podium Judge Payne asked if they all live together, to which they all responded in the affirmative.
After hearing the details presented by the prosecution, after all five agreed to the "diversion" from criminal to civil complaint, one of the braver of the five asked Judge Payne if they could have a discount since they were all "full-time college students."
The Judge paused for a moment, then asked again (while they were under oath) if they all lived at the same address. Again they responded "yes". So he said, $100 each.
Thus they got off pretty easy. Of course the Building Commissioner may have something to say to their landlord about violating the town bylaw restricting a one family house to no more than four unrelated tenants.