RPC alcohol violation trial set
Arpit Shah, a Will Rice College senior, appeared in Houston Municipal Court on April 22 to respond to charges of making alcohol available to a minor.
Shah, who recently turned 22, was cited by authorities on Feb. 17 after he and WRC junior Mike Shannon tried to purchase alcohol for Rice Program Council's Rodeo Party. Shannon, who was then socials chair for the RPC, was the host of the registered event, but was not yet 21. He was cited for underage possession of alcohol.
Shah accompanied Shannon to purchase beer, triple sec and tequila at Spec's Liquor Store on Holcombe, where the two were cited by Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission officers.
Shah went to court with the intention of requesting deferred adjudication, which was a viable option, according to the court clerk. Deferred adjudication would entail paying all court costs and a fee determined by the judge. In addition, if Shah did not commit the crime again in 60 to 90 days as determined by the judge, the case would be dismissed.
"I called the court clerks several times," Shah said. "I asked [the clerk] to look at my account and tell me what I could do."
Shah said that after being told he could defer adjudication, he called on two separate occasions to find out what the fee would be.
"On Friday the clerk was very pleasant. She said not to worry [about deferring adjudication], and that the fee would be around $110 to $170.
"[On Monday] I called and the clerk said it would be around $300."
With the help of friends, Shah collected the $300 and went to court on Monday night, expecting to be done with the situation quickly.
When called before the judge, however, Shah was told that he could not defer adjudication at that time; he was given another court date during which he could enter such a plea. Apparently, the information he had been given about deferred adjudication was applicable only to juvenile offenses.
"They called me up and I explained to the judge that I'm graduating, I'll be in one of three states after graduation and I need to get this taken care of before June 23," Shah said.
Shah was given a court date of April 2, 1997, and the only way he can change the date is to return to Municipal Court early on a Monday morning to find the same judge and ask for a change of court date.
Shah is unhappy with the way his legal situation has proceeded so far. "They make me pay to prove I'm innocent," Shah said.
This item appeared in the News section of the April 26, 1996 issue.
Copyright © 1996 The Rice Thresher. All Rights
Reserved.
This document may be distributed
electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety
and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted
without the express written permission of:
The Rice
Thresher, Rice University, 6100 Main, Houston, TX 77005-1892, USA.
The Thresher Online Project -- ethresh@rice.edu