Rumors cut short middle school dance

PORT ANGELES — An end-of-the-school-year dance for middle school students ended suddenly on Saturday night after rumors spread of students’ drinks being “spiked.”

As of Tuesday, the rumors remained unsubstantiated. No one has been reported treated after the dance was cut short.

“We haven’t found any evidence that anybody’s drinks were spiked with anything,” said Chief Brian Smith, who added that additional information could prompt more investigation.

As of Tuesday, the police were investigating a second-or third-hand report of a possible assault that might or might not have been connected with the dance, Smith said.

The dance was hosted by Port Angeles DeMolay at the Port Angeles Masonic Lodge on Lincoln Street on Saturday.

Police said that officers got involved when hundreds of students between 11 and 14 years old filed out of the Masonic Lodge onto the sidewalk and into Lincoln Street.

The numbers of students prompted officers to shut down Lincoln Street at about 10 p.m. for about a half an hour to protect the students and allow emergency vehicles access if needed.

The road was reopened again once most of the young people had been picked up by their parents.

According to the report, several of the girls had said that their drinks had been “spiked” with an unspecified substance.

“We were told that there was no punch and that the dance was serving individual beverages in cans,” Smith said.

Port Angeles Fire and Olympic Ambulance established a triage area on Seventh and Lincoln streets for anyone who needed or wanted to be evaluated, but ultimately, no one appeared for evaluation, no one appeared to be under the influence of anything and no one was taken to a hospital.

However, rumors persisted to the point where Olympic Medical Center asked PAPD if it needed to prepare for an influx of patients related to the alleged drink spiking.

OMC was advised to stand down, Smith said.

There were also rumors that a student that been taken into custody in relation to this incident, but that turned out to be false as well.

“At one point, an adult approached a PAPD supervisor and advised that they heard a kid was in the back of a police car. This was not true. There were never any kids detained or put in the back of cars,” Smith said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact PAPD at 360-452-4545.

_______

Reporter Ken Park can be reached at kpark@peninsuladailynews.com.

More in News

Children pick up candy along the parade route in Forks on Friday during the Forks Old Fashioned 4th of July Parade. (Lonnie Archibald/for Peninsula Daily News)
Festivities on the Fourth

Children pick up candy along the parade route in Forks on Friday… Continue reading

A new parking lot next to the Sequim Civic Center will be completed by the end of the summer, according to Sequim city staff. The city purchased three lots adjacent to the center in June 2022 to convert the properties into a parking lot. The lots also were known for common calls to 911. (Matthew Nash/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
Sequim sets its list of projects

Summer work includes paving streets

Weekly flight operations scheduled

There will be field carrier landing practice operations for aircraft… Continue reading

Security exercise set for Wednesday at Indian Island

Naval Magazine Indian Island will conduct a security training… Continue reading

Project SAFER aims to help those with disabilities

Form identifies sensitivities for law enforcement officers

Summer meal programs help out families in Jefferson County

Jefferson Healthcare and Jefferson County Food Bank Association offer assistance

Violinist Kristian Bugge plays traditional Danish folk songs with Fiddle Tunes found Bertram Levy, July 2. (ELIJAH SUSSMAN/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS)
Fiddle Tunes fill the air at Fort Worden

Traditions flourish, musical and otherwise

Beaver Valley fire sees road closure

One acre vegetation fire controlled quickly

Public meeting on Rayonier Mill Cleanup on Tuesday

The Washington State Department of Ecology on Tuesday will… Continue reading

Port Angeles City Council taking applications for seat

A vacancy on the City Council must be filled… Continue reading

KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
Construction workers stand on what remains of the old U.S. 101 bridge over the Elwha River on Wednesday as the aging structure is dismantled. The old bridge, built in 1926, was in danger of washout when the river beneath changed course and engineers discovered the bridge piers were built on gravel instead of bedrock, leading to constructon of a new bridge, at right, which was opened to traffic in 2024. The old bridge was to remain in place until a fish-spawning window, which runs from mid-July until the end of August.
Bridge removal

Construction workers stand on what remains of the old U.S. Highway 101… Continue reading