State Police Investigate Report Leak on Teen Drinking at Chafees - ABC6 - Providence, RI and New Bedford, MA News, Weather

AG's office to investigate Report leak on Chafee party

     The Rhode Island State Police have launched an investigation into how a confidential investigation into the Governor's son became public.

     State Police Colonial Steven O'Donnell said today that this report on Caleb Chafee's drinking party should not have been made public until it was completed.
     Nonetheless, the details of the booze party - including one teen's trip to the hospital - are out there.

     It all stems from a teen drinking party last month at one of the Chafee's homes.
   
     "It's a private matter and Stephanie and I are handling it in a private way," sai9d, Gov. Lincoln Chafee, (I) Rhode Island.

     Governor Chafee is talking about the latest incident involving his 18 year old son Caleb, and a drinking party, Memorial Day at the family's compound in Exeter. A teenage girl was drunk and became ill.  Caleb asked her and friends to leave and the teen wound up in Kent Hospital, according to a State Police Report:

     Mark Curtis from ABC6 asks, "You oversee the state police after all, are you comfortable or should someone else handle the investigation?  Governor Chafee answers by saying, "Oh nothing is more important than me than upholding the high integrity of the Rhode Island State Police. We have a reputation across the country as the highest integrity and I'd never ever do anything to jeopardize that."

     ABC 6 Reporter Mark Curtis says, "The Rhode Island State Police have now asked the Attorney General's office to participate in this investigation. I spoke to State Police Col. Steven O'Donnell and he said quote, 'let the chips fall where they may' in terms of whether Caleb Chafee or anyone else at that party, will face criminal charges."

     While Governor and Mrs. Chafee were not at the teen drinking party, longtime Chafee aide Stephen Hourahan - who lives there - saw the gathering.

     Gabe Abbate, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Chapter of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), said, "Somebody could have died."

     This is Caleb Chafee's second incident with underage alcohol in two months. Mother's Against Drunk Driving says the Governor needs to speak out publicly on the danger:

     Gabrielle Abbate from Mothers Against Drunk Driving said, "That's they key. I think the Governor has an opportunity to speak out as a parent of somebody of different ages and speak to the whole parenting think of it. It's a leadership type of thing."

     So far no one has been charged with any wrongdoing in this case.