Investigation of juvenile beer drinking begins; four OHS basketball players suspended from team

(Editor’s note: This running story comes under the categories of kids will be kids and some things never change. There will be another installment next week.)

The Dec. 11, 1952 Argus-Observer reported that Malheur County District Attorney Charles Swan asked the county sheriff and state police to pursue an investigation into “alleged beer drinking parties indulged in by Ontario High School students.”

On the same day, The Argus-Observer reported on its sports page that four players had been dropped from the high school basketball squad for “violation of training rules.”

Robert McConnaha said that the activities of 18 students, including five basketball players, were being reviewed in connection with the alleged beer drinking parties.

The investigation grew out of a state police arrest almost two weeks earlier of four juveniles --- two girls from Ontario and two boys from Payette --- who were discovered drinking beer in a car just outside of Ontario.

The only formal charge from that incident was filed against a grocery store employee for selling beer to minors. The juveniles were released to their parents --- the girls immediately and the boys after spending a night in jail in Vale.