VIERA, Fla. – A Brevard County teacher accused of being drunk at a Cocoa Beach house party with 100 teens was found guilty Tuesday of charges related to the case.
Karly Anderson was convicted of disorderly intoxication and resisting an officer.
[Watch video below to see first full day of trial]
A jury was seated Monday, with many prospective jurors saying they had heard about the case or saw police body-camera video that shows Anderson yelling at first responders after they arrived at the home, owned by Elizabeth Hill-Brodigan, the former principal at Roosevelt Elementary School, where Anderson also taught.
On Tuesday, Cocoa Beach Police Officer Demetrius Brown took the stand. He is one of the first responders who answered that house party call back in January.
He said he was unable to arrest Anderson as he was helping a 17-year-old who was sick after drinking.
“Alcohol affects everyone differently, especially for someone who is a minor. He would have had a medical episode back there if I was talking with Ms. Anderson,” Brown said.
The officer said he drove the teen to the police station and had their mother pick them up.
Brown is the officer wearing the body camera in the video released by the State Attorney’s Office, he said he became frustrated dealing with Anderson because he could not reason with her as she was drunk.
In the video, Brown can be heard telling Anderson to “go away.”
Brevard County Fire Rescue Firefighter Andrew Rocque took the stand as well, stating that he was called to the house party and was responding to a “sick person” call.
“When we got on scene, we saw kids all around, they were walking through the yard,” Rocque said.
Rocque said his colleague spoke and assessed the intoxicated teen who was with Officer Brown, and it was determined that the 17-year-old did not need to go to the hospital.
He added that he did help Brown put the teen inside the cop car, which is when Anderson started yelling at the first responders, Rocque said.
“In that moment when we were trying to get the minor into the car,” Rocque said. “That’s when a lady came up and asked what we were doing.”
However, he also mentioned that he did not feel threatened by Anderson and left the situation to be handled by Brown.
Police said the January party was attended by more than 100 juveniles, many of whom had been drinking and had access to alcohol available in coolers.
The state attorney’s office charged Hill-Brodigan with one count of child neglect, a third-degree felony that could result in up to five years in prison, five years of probation and a $5,000 fine.
Additionally, Hill-Brodigan is charged with five counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, each a first-degree misdemeanor. Each count carries a potential penalty of up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. She is also charged with one count of holding an open house party, a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 60 days in jail, six months of probation and/or a $500 fine.
[Watch video below to see report about arrest of principal, teacher]
Anderson, a former third-grade teacher at Roosevelt Elementary, is charged with one count of disorderly conduct, a second-degree misdemeanor that could lead to up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. Additionally, Anderson is charged with one count of disorderly intoxication, which carries the same potential penalties as the disorderly conduct charge.
According to authorities, Anderson approached officers while intoxicated and said she was a teacher and had been at the party.
Anderson, however, denied being at the party in an interview with Inside Edition.
When police arrived at the home, they said they observed a large crowd, many of whom were wearing matching T-shirts. At one point, police located a juvenile on the front lawn who was so heavily intoxicated that Brevard County Fire Rescue had to treat the student, police said.
While that was happening, according to police, Hill-Brodigan was seen by officers in the driveway of her home turning off the outside lights and entering her residence, causing BCFR to use auxiliary lighting on their vehicle to treat the child.
Police also conducted a traffic stop near the home, which resulted in the arrest of the juvenile driver for DUI.