Bust nets arrests of underage drinkers

The Daily Inter Lake

The countywide Alcohol Enforcement Team arrested more than 20 underage drinkers during the weekend.

Officers went to a party in Hungry Horse where alcohol, a loaded semiautomatic handgun, and drug paraphernalia were seized. Youths fled from the bonfire party when officers arrived.

The team also assisted Eureka Police Department with checks of businesses that sell alcohol. Team leader Travis Bruyer, a Flathead County Sheriff's Office detective, said 60 percent of the establishments refused to sell alcohol to an underage buyer.

The team also participated in the arrest of a minor who is accused of stealing a car, resisting arrest, obstructing an officer, and possession of alcohol. That arrest occurred in Columbia Falls.

The team includes members from local law-enforcement agencies that are working to reduce underage drinking in the Flathead.