Working in conjunction with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Alcohol Law Enforcement, ALE, agents served warrants Wednesday on the owner of Smokehouse Valley Farm, an agritourism property in rural Orange County. Owner Dwight B. Poole, 60, faces six counts of aiding and abetting people under the age of 21 to consume alcohol at a large party held Friday night, May 2, at his event venue.
More than 2,500 people attended the party off Mill Creek Road.
“Attendees parked along both sides of the road, blocking the flow of traffic,” said Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood. “They obstructed driveways, left automobiles in the yards of neighboring property owners, and intoxicated individuals wandered between vehicles snarled in traffic. Many partygoers were underage, and people drove away from the event despite being significantly under the influence of intoxicating substances. Others were so impaired they passed out along the roadway…