By Abbey Niezgoda
aniezgoda@abc6.com
Testimony has come to an end in the social host trial of Terri Serra, but first the former Chariho School Committee member took the stand in her own defense.
Serra is accused of letting teenagers drink on her property the same night four of them got into a serious car accident.
On the stand, Serra testified that she never say anyone drinking because there were no lights outside. She said when she did smell the alcohol, she told them to stop.
However, when asked why she did not stop the teens from driving home drunk, Serra said she thought they had designated a driver.
When she came upon the accident to find out that was not the case, she said she first asked if neighbors had called 911. She said they told her yes.
Just before Serra got on the stand, a neighbor testified that she could not remember if Serra had asked that night, only that she was yelling at all of the teenagers in the crashed car.
Serra says she was doing that because she was angry they had broken her rules. Prosecutors say that is no excuse for the fact that she drove off moments later, but Serra said she was only going to try and find a friend whose a rescue worker.
Closing arguments and sentencing is scheduled for November.
