When throwing a house party, it’s probably a good idea to be the owner of said house.
Such was not the case for Michael Brown, of North Carolina, who was arrested for throwing a “large, unauthorized” house party at a property that did not belong to him.
Brown is actually a landscaper hired by the homeowners and allegedly hosted a “vast crowd of people” at the house while his clients were away.
Officials say that Brown “initially presented the home as being his own” and charged an entry fee for each attendee “that he pocketed.” He’s been charged with breaking and entering, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, second-degree trespassing, injury to real property and obtaining property by false pretenses.
For his part, Brown tells ABC affiliate WSOC that he didn’t break any laws and that the party was celebrating his son’s graduation. He says the entry fee was for security reasons and that he didn’t talk to authorities about who owned the house.
“I never spoke to [officials] about anything, about who stayed there or who owned the place,” Brown says. “It wasn’t my right to tell them that, because it’s private property.”
As for his landscaping business, Brown believes everything is fine.
“I’m just waiting for [the homeowners] to come home, just so I can continue to build my relationship and we can move forward,” he says.