Deering players suspended for drinking

PORTLAND – Several members of Deering High’s basketball team have been suspended from school for drinking at their Bangor hotel after last weekend’s loss to Bangor in the state championship game.

An assistant coach, Nick Caiazzo, faces a charge of stealing from the hotel bar some of the alcohol that was consumed.

Deering High officials were trying to sort out details of the events that followed the team’s 57-56 loss Saturday night in the Class A title game at the Bangor Auditorium.

“This kind of behavior is very disappointing,” said Deering Principal Brenda Roy. “It’s disappointing after an outstanding season. We’ve had a lot of away games this season and never experienced this kind of behavior.”

School officials would not say how long the suspensions will last or how many team members were involved. The Portland Press Herald said unofficial reports indicated the number may be as high as seven.

Caiazzo, 25, was issued a summons for theft of alcohol. Police said the maintanance staff of the Holiday Inn on Odlin Road found him behind the bar in the hotel lounge after it closed.

Caiazzo, a former University of Maine baseball player, declined comment Tuesday.

Roy would not identify the players suspended for drinking. She said they were suspended because “we have a clear policy on the penalty for alcohol and drug use” while participating in a school-sponsored activity.

Other Deering students got into hot water following the game.

James Stephens, 18, was charged with disorderly conduct for throwing a plastic soda bottle onto the court as Bangor players and fans celebrated their victory.

The bottle hit a security guard on the head, but he wasn’t injured.

Stephens claimed a Bangor fan threw the bottle at him and he was throwing it back.

Bangor police said at least three other teen-agers were arrested when officers were called to quell disturbances at the Holiday Inn-Civic Center after the game.

Stephens and other Deering students who were arrested have yet to be suspended. Technically, the school lacks jurisdiction over the actions of students outside school, Roy said.