A large part of last night's town council meeting was taken up by neighbors complaining of a long-standing problem: parties -- some attended by as many as 200 people -- that are held at a private home on 325 E. Calaveras St.
About 25-30 neighbors appeared to support complaints about the most recent house party, held last Sat., March 14. One neighbor who spoke at the meeting said that the party started at about 9 or 10 PM and went on until 1 or 2 AM, with loud music and vast numbers of people coming into the neighborhood, near the intersection of Calaveras and Marengo. Other neighbors complained that many of these gatherings are paid parties, and that alcohol is served to minors.
Sheriff Capt. Roosevelt Blow said that he keeps a file in his desk about Fred Spears, the home's owner, with whom he's had longstanding problems, but the sheriff's hands were tied for various reasons -- deputies can't go into a party without a warrant unless they see something illegal going on, and they haven't had sufficient evidence of paid parties or underage drinking.
Altadenablog's sources, however, say that the parties are frequently advertised through fliers and over the internet, and that this information is shared with the sheriff's department.
The house parties have been going on for over ten years, according to one resident of the area, and have been the subject of petitions and community meetings, and yet they continue unabated. Shots have been fired during at least one of these parties, neighbors say, and neighbors said that they had been subject to break-ins and other crime that they traced to the parties. In addition, there have been long-standing problems with Spears' dogs attacking people, according to some neighbors.
Councilman Allen Wasserman said at the meeting that Spears was convicted of a domestic violence charge where he spent three days in jail and had to attend a 52 week parenting program. Blow said that Spears is presently on probation.
(Pictured: 325 E. Calaveras St. this morning).
