Hanover Police officers arrested five underage freshmen early Saturday evening and charged them with possession of alcohol.
All were later released to Dartmouth Safety and Security officers.
Hanover Police Officer Darryl Zampieri found the underage youths loading beer into athletic bags and other packs in the alleyway off Allen Street, near Omer & Bob's sportshop, police spokeswoman Lisa Camarra said.
Zampieri arrested Daniel Decker, William Keating, Daniel Perkins, Adrian Tompsett, all 18-year-old members of the Class of 1997. A fifth freshman was also arrested but his name was not released because he is under 18.
Keating, Decker and Perkins are roommates.
A court hearing was set for Oct. 19, but Keating said he and his friends will enroll in the Hanover Alcohol Diversion Program.
The program was created by Hanover District Court to educate first-time alcohol offenders in exchange for a cleared criminal record, Hanover Police Officer Steven Read said.
Each offender pays $150 to take the three to six-hour alcohol education course covering topics such as the effects of alcohol, risk factors of alcohol problems and decision-making skills, he said.
The $150 fee for the course is the normal fine given if the accused had been found guilty in court, Read said. "The court has determined that this be the appropriate fine for this type of offense," he said.
Keating said he was upset that his offense was receiving publicity. "Even though we don't have criminal records, we have public records now because of all the newspapers," he said.
