Olyphant Mom Sentenced for Allowing "Party House"

Olyphant, Lackawanna County - A Lackawanna County woman who admitted to letting her house be used as a "party house" will spend time in prison.

Erica King of Olyphant was sentenced Tuesday morning at the Lackawanna County courthouse.

King was arrested in April on charges of corruption of minors and furnishing alcohol to minors.

She pleaded guilty in July.

A judge sentenced King to spend five years on probation, with the first 90 days in jail and the next 90 days on house arrest.

Investigators say King allowed her Mooney Street home become a "party house" where teenagers were allowd to drink.

"I think it's quite appropriate, definitely because we can't have that going around because that's terrible," Jordan Wysochansky of Olyphant said.

In court Tuesday, King apologized for allowing everything to happen. She said she wasn't monitoring the situation and was "too lax."

While some of her neighbors defended her off-camera, throughout the community many people say the punishment was not strong enough.

"I think she should have gotten more and it's a shame she did that," Stanley Gorczyk of Dickson City said.

"It should have been stiffer," Barbara Checefsky of Jessup said. "Because of the ramifications of teenagers and the trouble they can get into and the harm they could cause themselves."

During the course of the investigation, police say they interviewed several teenagers who said they attended parties at the King home since November 2010. They each said they saw people consuming alcohol, smoking marijuana and taking prescription drugs.

In court, King's attorney said this was the first time his client has been in trouble with the law. He declined to comment after the sentencing.

In addition to jail and house arrest, Erica King was also ordered to pay a $300 fine.