ORANGE COUNTY, NC -- Newly released 911 calls are revealing the chaos caused by a party on May 2 at Smokehouse Valley Farm in Orange County. WRAL Investigates has reported extensively on the concerns surrounding farm parties in multiple counties, and the criminal charges against this farm's owner related to that night.
Through a public records request, WRAL Investigates obtained 911 calls related to the party.
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Among them -- frustrated neighbors losing sleep, callers concerned about traffic, someone having an asthma attack, a call about an unconscious individual, another about people in the roadway, and also a pregnant woman who was unable to get out of her driveway due to partygoers' cars blocking her in.
"This is so scary," one caller said. "My sister is having contractions ... there are six or seven cars blocking my driveway from leaving my home right now, and I have no way out of here ... I have never seen a party like this in my whole life."
The farm's owner, Dwight Poole, was charged by Alcohol Law Enforcement for aiding and abetting underage drinking, and is due in court May 29.
WRAL previously reported on a shooting at his venue, in which an 18-year-old was killed. At the time, he told WRAL he did not think he had any responsibility for what happened. He did not respond to our request for comment on this latest incident.
WRAL Investigates found, in court records, that at least seven people who attended the most recent party, all under the age of 21, were charged. Their charges include underage consumption of alcohol and DWI. One of the drivers, according to court records, blew a .19, which is more than twice the legal limit.
According to the 911 call log provided by Orange County, those attending the party may have been from a Greensboro-area university.
"They've got people on the road who are passed out," one 911 caller said.
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There is limited cell phone signal near the venue, which was clearly an issue for some of the callers, as dispatchers are heard telling callers they are having a hard time understanding, or that their phones keep breaking up.
The 911 call log provided by Orange County shows multiple family members of party attendees called in, concerned about their loved ones after not being able to get in touch, or seeing their location through their phone GPS.
The farm parties and the dangers of them are well-known to Gayane Chambless, program director for the Orange Partnership for Alcohol and Drug Free Youth, which, she explains, focuses "on reducing the harms of underage drinking."
Chambless notes the parties do not occur solely at Smokehouse Valley Farm, but at multiple venues around Orange, Durham and Person Counties.
She says the remote locations of the parties cause added concern for the attendees' safety.
The parties first got on her radar in 2018.
"They were in rural areas that were dimly lit," she said. "And rural roads. No sidewalks. So you have a combination of factors."
Samantha Luu, director of the Chapel Hill Campus and Community Coalition to Reduce the Negative Impacts of High-Risk Drinking, works closely with Chambless to try to educate young people about the dangers of farm parties.
"We want people to socialize," Luu said. "We know that’s good for them. It’s healthy for them. But how can we do it in ways where we are promoting safer environments as well as ways to reduce the harms to the rest of the community?"
As for how to put an end to the parties, Luu thinks accountability, to include criminal charges when necessary, is important.
"I think everyone has a role to play in creating a safe environment for everyone to socialize in and gather in," she said. "That everyone includes the people attending these events, but also families, neighbors, retailers."
