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Thursday, January 09, 2003

By Mackenzie Carpenter, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Beer. Vomiting. Boys in muscle shirts. Boys passed out. Girls in their bras. Girls topless. And beer, lots and lots of beer.

It sounds like some kind of cheesy teen sexploitation film, but it's not -- just some Mt. Lebanon teenagers partying on their very own Web site.

The site, discovered Tuesday by Mt. Lebanon Police Chief Thomas Ogden after he received an anonymous tip, features scores of photos, organized by the date of the parties -- from July through fall 2002. They are mostly of young men hoisting beer cans but there are also a few topless young women posing for the camera or vomiting into toilets.

A number of them are wearing shirts with the community's moniker or the "Blue Devils" sports team logo or other athletic teams. There are also photographs of the exteriors of several Mt. Lebanon houses identified on the site as party houses.

Although Ogden hoped that parents would view the site for themselves, by late yesterday afternoon it had been closed down. Ogden said investigators were working to identify those responsible for the site, so they can notify their parents. In a "profiles" section, the teens, all of them young men, call themselves members of the "AULTS Club" and identify themselves with names such as "Booger," "Prez," "Ross" and "Johnny."

Asked to describe his worst moment, "Scotty" answers, "Puking in front of John's mom."

While no adults are present in any of the pictures, "Mark" lists his favorite moment as "my bash with my mom," and his least favorite moment as "getting slapped in my face by my mom at my bash."

There is a message board, too. One entry, by "Buckethead," describes a scene in an upstairs bedroom: "Buck just lit his hair on fire, I'm too drunk to type."

Traffic on the message board appeared to have petered out somewhat over the past few days, ever since Ogden posted this message on Tuesday: "You kids should reconsider a life of crime because you're just not too bright."

Just before the site closed down, it appeared that nearly two dozen people had read Ogden's message, according to the "hits" count on the Web page, but none responded to it.

Not to worry, kids -- the police can't arrest you.

"There is no enforcement action that MLPD can take," said Ogden. "However this is visual proof that the problem of underage drinking continues and that the kids think it is a joke. Naked young teens, unconscious teens, binge drinking and vomiting at parties and on Web sites should be of concern at least to the parents involved."

Indeed, in one audio segment, Ogden believes there is a mocking reference to a prior teen drinking scandal that shook this affluent community.

A videotape of underage drinking parties, which was discovered 18 months ago at Mt. Lebanon High School, was forwarded to the police, who contacted the families involved -- and got little or no response.

"This basically shows we didn't learn our lesson the first time around. Enjoy," says a voice on the Web site.

School district officials said in a statement yesterday: "We, as a district, are committed to continue to work with the police department and community at large on this critical issue facing our youth today."

One parent active in the Mt. Lebanon PTA said she and other parents were unaware of the Web site until contacted yesterday by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"This is depressing news," said Cory Polena, parent of a Mt. Lebanon High School student.

In December, Mt. Lebanon police, school officials and parents sent out an unprecedented letter to residents urging them to sign a pledge that they would not serve alcohol to minors. Those who sign the pledge will have their names posted online and in school and community newsletters and directories.

"I'm really shocked," said Polena. "It just goes to show that you should probably never leave your house if you want to make sure your kids aren't drinking."

Mackenzie Carpenter can be reached at mcarpenter@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1949.