JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A Jacksonville defense attorney was recently arrested after police said they broke up an out-of-control party at her home and found that some of the partygoers who were drinking were underage.
Maria Roger’s son, David Rogers, said he is sorry that his birthday party at the Neptune Beach home landed his mother in jail. He said his mother had no idea he was even having the party.
“For my birthday my mom went to jail, basically. I’m very regretful for making the decision to do the party at my house,” said David Rogers.
He told Channel 4 that his 21st birthday party got out of control.
“She had nothing to do with this. She didn’t know what was going on,” David Rogers said.
Nonetheless, at about 11 p.m. on Saturday, police were dispatched to Maria Roger’s home in Neptune Beach for what started as a loud party callout.
When authorities got to the home, they said there were several underage juveniles drinking beer in the front yard and they ran away once police pulled up to the home.
According to the arrest report, the officer asked to see Maria Rogers' driver’s license but she told him no and instead gave the officer her Duval County Court ID and Florida Bar Card.
The report also states that when the lawyer was told she could be arrested for not complying with the officer’s requests, she began reciting the Miranda warning.
Police said Maria Rogers finally gave another officer her ID and walked away from the authorities and went into her back yard. That's when police said they saw at least 40-50 juveniles and young adults drinking alcohol. When an officer stopped one of the people drinking, he said he learned that person was underage and appeared to be intoxicated.
The arresting officers said Maria Rogers had “obviously been drinking alcoholic beverages” and resisted arrest three different times.
When Channel 4’s talked with Maria Rogers at her home, she said she saw the officers writing up the police report and said that they embellished the details.
She told Channel 4 she felt it was inappropriate to go on camera and discuss the matter, but said she “never sold, never knew, never hosted and certainly never resisted officers on Saturday night.”
Maria Rogers told Channel 4 that when she got home and saw the crowd, she immediately asked all of the underage people to leave immediately. She also denied being intoxicated at the time of her arrest.
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