August 22, 2012, @NBC10
Rhode Island State Police and the attorney general's office have charged Caleb Chafee, the son of Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, with violating the state's social host law.
Caleb Chafee was issued a summons Friday to appear before Washington County District Court on Aug. 22.
Under Rhode Island's social host law, any person between the ages of 18 and 21 who permits the consumption of alcohol by underaged persons in his or her residence or on his or her real property may be held responsible.
If convicted, Caleb Chafee faces a maximum $500 fine and up to 30 hours of community service.
The governor said in a statement that said in part, "Caleb will accept responsibility for his actions and, in addition to any legal consequences that result, we will continue to deal with this matter as a family. It is our hope that this event, however regrettable, has provided an opportunity for a dialogue about the dangerous and potentially harmful effects of underage drinking."
Caleb Chafee hosted a party at the family property in Exeter on Memorial Day where underage people were allegedly drinking. The governor was not home at the time.
Police said an 18-year-old girl became ill that night and was treated at Kent Hospital for alcohol poisoning.
According to the police report, a trooper came across the woman on Route 102, where she was being helped by three friends. The friends said the woman had called them for a ride and that they did not know where the teen had been drinking. The state police report said the teens' mother later said her daughter had been at the Chafee's house.
Police also interviewed the son of U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse after attending the party.
The senator said his son, Alexander, is friends with Caleb Chafee and "briefly" stopped by to congratulate him for graduating from Portsmouth Abbey School.
Stephen Hourahan, a top governor's aide who rents and lives in a separate house on the Chafee family property, had said he saw Caleb Chafee and his friends on the afternoon of the party but didn't see anyone with alcohol or anyone who appeared to be drunk. He has since moved.
Barrington Police Chief John LaCross was also at the Chafee's property at the same time Caleb Chafee was hosting the party.
LaCross had said that he and his wife were invited to the compound by Hourahan. Chafee said he was briefly introduced to Caleb Chafee. LaCross said Caleb Chafee didn't appear to be drunk and that he did not see any alcohol at the Exeter home.
Also in May, Caleb Chafee pleaded no contest to accusations he tried to buy beer at a Jamestown liquor store in April. A judge fined him $100. The fine has been paid. A judge expunged the case from his record.
https://turnto10.com/archive/caleb-chafee-charged-with-violating-states-social-host-law
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A brief history of Lincoln Chafee’s party identity crises
May 30, 2013
It's official. Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee became a Democrat on Thursday, leaving behind the independent label he claimed after shedding his Republican skin in 2007.
How did Lincoln Chafee (R) morph into Lincoln Chafee (D)? The 43rd and 44th presidents were major factors. So was politics.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2013/05/30/a-brief-history-of-lincoln-chafees-party-identity-crises/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.14166268be7b
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Former Rhode Island governor and 2016 presidential candidate Lincoln Chafee says he is spending more time in Wyoming — and is contemplating declaring residency there.
Chafee said in emails to The Providence Journal on Monday that his wife, Stephanie, has already declared residency.
Teton County's clerk confirms that Stephanie Chafee has registered to vote in Wyoming.
Lincoln Chafee is still registered to vote in Warwick, Rhode Island. The former U.S. senator says he appreciates Wyoming's history and its state motto of "Equal Rights."
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/wyoming/articles/2019-01-29/lincoln-chafee-says-hes-thinking-about-moving-to-wyoming