While fest season brings students together to celebrate warm weather, it also brings alcohol related arrests for those who misbehave.
While some students were busy ordering kegs for Mill and Milliron Fest, the Athens Police Department were pre-printing tickets for alcohol offenses.
Fest season welcomes the warm spring weather after months of students walking to classes with minimal sunlight in the winter. Some students enjoy the weather by hanging out with friends, but some take it a step further and have run-ins with local police departments.
Last year, about 140 arrests were made by APD, the Ohio University Police Department and the Ohio Investigative Unit throughout the entire fest season.
Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle said the change in mood when alcohol takes over is like “flipping on a light switch.”
“You see everybody happy and having a good time and then all of a sudden the alcohol kind of takes over collectively,” Pyle said. “I can see it, it takes on a much more provocative and belligerent tone.”
The arrests made during fest season are almost all alcohol related, Pyle said. He added that arrests made and citations given out include underage alcohol consumption or possession, assault, vandalism, domestic violence, sexual assault and rape.
“When we make arrests they’re almost always … tied in with violence and alcohol,” Pyle said.
Most of the charges made during a fest are first degree misdemeanors that can land an individual with six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. But Pyle said in the court system, rarely anyone gets the maximum penalty.
Jessica Sees, a junior studying journalism, said if students go “too hard too early,” it’ll ruin their day. Pacing yourself is the best way to enjoy a fest, she added.
In 2015, fest goers experienced everything from an Athens resident wearing a green beer hat and handing out lemon Jolly Ranchers, to a student dressed up as a referee to keep everything under control, according to a previous Post report.
Sees added that she saw someone get tackled in the street during a fest last year because they were walking around with an open container.
Among the shenanigans, Sees said she loves to see everyone outside having a good time in the nice weather.
“Even if people are annoyingly drunk … just let them be, they’re just happy,” Sees said.
Sees’ friend, Megan Molnar, said watching people running around like crazy people is her favorite part of any fest.
“Mill (Fest) is perfect because there’s enough room for everyone to be happy,” Molnar, a senior studying French, said.
Molnar added that her friend group might kick off the season with mimosas and muffins, similar to what they did for homecoming.
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Taylor Hickman, a junior studying graphic design, said High Fest is her favorite because it was the first one she attended.
Last year, during a rainy fest day, Hickman was standing on a slant when she suddenly fell in the mud, covering her entire backside with mud.
“I just really love how warm it is and just hanging out with people,” Hickman said.
@Fair3Julia
Jf311013@ohio.edu
