Boy, 16, Found 'Incoherent' After Night of Apparent Binge Drinking on Beach

Another Barrington juvenile – a 16-year-old boy – was rushed to Hasbro Childrens Hospital last week after being found “incoherent” along Applian Way after some apparent binge drinking on a nearby beach.

The teen was found sitting up near a fire hydrant by several Barrington patrol officers at about 12:45 am on Saturday, Aug. 17.

“His eyes rolled back into his head” several times, according to Barrington Police Chief John LaCross. At first, the boy could not tell the officers where he came from, the police chief said.

He allegedly smelled of alcohol and swayed back and forth. And he appeared to have beach sand lodged in his ear, LaCross said. 

“There seem to be more of these incidents occurring,” said LaCross, despite widespread attempts to better education teens about the perils of binge drinking.

Eventually, an investigation by police officers determined that the teen had allegedly been drinking on Mussachuck Beach where Mussachuck Creek flows into Narragansett Bay from Brickyard Pond. Officers found his sneakers and cell phone on the beach, LaCross said.

The teen refused to take a preliminary breath test (PBT), said the police chief.

Police officers were able to contact the teen’s father, who responded to Appian Way to accompany his son to the hospital.

The teen faces a charge of underage possession and consumption of alcohol, LaCross said. The case will be referred to Barrington’s Juvenile Hearing Board, the police chief said, not the Family Court – a different approach than in the past.