House party gone wrong at local Airbnb rental unit

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - The owner of a Lake Charles Airbnb rental unit on West Claude Street said it took hours to clean up the mess after juveniles held a party on her property.

“I was completely shocked at how crazy the party actually was,” property owner Katie Little said.

She said she has been renting the property through Airbnb for several years and has not had any issues until last Saturday.

“I got a text from my neighbor saying ‘hey there is a party. 50 to a hundred people. just wanted to give you a heads up’,” Little said.

She said she saw videos of the party on social media showing juveniles engaging in illegal activities, as well as throwing themselves and toilets off of the roof.

“We went in to find disco balls, stripper poles, toilets thrown off the roof, kids with busted up faces because they had thrown themselves off the roof, drugs, alcohol, a bunch of minors, and of course a parent who had hosted all of this for a bunch of kids,” Little said.

Property manager Kirsten Harms and Katie Little both agree, what’s most alarming is the lack of accountability for both parents and kids.

“There were questionably young people here, 15 or 16,” Harms said. “You don’t need to be at a party like this, and it definitely doesn’t need to be provided by an adult.”

Lake Charles police chief Shawn Caldwell said their department is aware of what happened and it’s under investigation.

He issued the following warning for parents:

“You may be culpable for allowing this to happen either at a place that you may rent or your own home, you can still be held liable criminally and civilly for some of these actions. So, be aware of what you are doing,” Caldwell said.

Caldwell said parents need to know where their kids are at all times. As far as the investigation, he said if they find criminal activity, charges will be filed.

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