Teens: accused breakdancer is scapegoat

ELMA, N.Y. (WIVB) - Parents claim one teen's breakdancing moves cut up their floor, but now other teens are coming forward, calling a recent house party nothing but a wild, underage booze-fest.

Friends of Ryan Baczkiewicz say he is being made a scapegoat for alleged damage to a house in Elma. A house, they say, where two underaged daughters hosted a drinking party while their parents were out of town.

Ryan Baczkiewicz' friends said they didn't see him breakdancing at the home of Brittany and Ashley Kruse in Elma where he is accused of felony criminal mischief, allegedly gauging a wood floor while breakdancing with a sharp belt buckle. But Ryan's friend Dan Woronoski told News 4 he did see Brittany and Ashley engaging in some heavy drinking with two other girls and as many as fifteen to twenty boys he said they had over the house on Valentine's Day.

"They were a mess actually. They were everywhere, all over the house, they were dancing around, ya know, drinkin'. From my aspect, they were pretty drunk," said Dan.

Another of Ryan's friends, Matt Strasser was also at the party. We talked with him by phone.

Matt said, "Jello shots, liquor, beer. The whole house party ordeal. I have no idea [where the parents were]."

Ryan was arrested a week after the party and taken to the Holding Center. According to Ryan's mother, Cheryl Chapman, the arrest happened only after she refused to pay $5,000 dollars to Kim Kruse, the mother who was not home during the party.

"If I didn't want to take care of it that way, she would call her friend in the Sheriff's Department and file charges," said Chapman.

Deputies acted on the complaint and were told by Kim Kruse her daughters only had their boyfriends over to the house. Drinking was not mentioned, but Ryan was the target of the complaint.

Chief Michael Pliszka of the Erie County Sheriff's Office said, "He was an uninvited guest, I believe, and then when asked to leave, initially was uncooperative and had to be encouraged to do so by a male participant who was at the house at that time."

Dan said, "Yeah, we were invited. I was on the phone. I heard her on the phone when she said that we were allowed to come. He was an invited guest."

News 4 left a voice message at the Kruse home, but so far no one has returned our call. Captain Ron Kenyon of the Erie County Sheriff's Office says this investigation is not over. He wants to hear from people who attended the party.