Police say around 300 people caught having ‘full-blown party’ inside Clovis school gym at 1 a.m.
At 1:30 in the morning, the amount of people and cars in a northwest Clovis neighborhood was suspicious.
Parking space at Alta Sierra Intermediate School at Teague and Peach avenues was limited, so drivers used residential streets to park and then walk over to the school’s gym for an unauthorized event.
“It was a full-blown party,” said Clovis police Sgt. Jim Munro.
Officers found alcohol bottles inside the gym, “a strong smell of marijuana,” and a DJ for a party that was being held after midnight Sunday, Munro said. Police estimate around 300 people were in attendance. And this was no doing of the school. Munro said it’s not clear how the partygoers gained access to the gym.
Police learned of the incident after neighbors called to complain about the traffic at odd hours. When officers arrived, the crowd dispersed. Only five people were detained.
Three men – Davon Martin, 20, Saul Jandres, 21, and Matthew Duran, 20 – and two women – Alexis Caar, 21 and Sarina Garcia, 20 – were cited for trespassing.
The men were taken to the Clovis police headquarters; the women were reportedly too intoxicated and were transported to Clovis Community hospital, said Munro. The women were charged with public intoxication as a result.
Party investigation
The party likely had been going for about an hour before police arrived. The incident is uncommon for the area, Munro said. He added that police are working to figure out how the partygoers gained access to the gym.
So far, the only plausible explanation is the gym was left unlocked after a judo tournament that was held earlier Saturday. Another match was scheduled for Sunday. Munro said the gym was cleaned up before the the athletes arrived.
“It’s terribly disappointing to learn that people from outside our community would break into a school gym without consideration for the potential damage to people or property for the purpose of holding a party,” Kelly Avants, Clovis Unified spokeswoman, said Monday in response to the unauthorized party.
Avants said the school district is cooperating with the police and school officials are reviewing surveillance footage to assist in the investigation. Munro said there was damage to storage doors inside the gym.
He also said the DJ system used for the party was taken to police headquarters, its owner a mystery.
Monday classes were not interrupted by the party damage, Avants said.
