Stephentown

Six ringleaders who helped organize a massive high-school party that left former NFL player Brian Holloway's home trashed have been arrested and were set to appear in town court Thursday evening, Rensselaer County Sheriff Jack Mahar said.

Mahar said the ring leaders had until 4 p.m. to turn themselves in at the Rensselaer County Jail.

The group was then set to be transported to Stephentown Town Court to be arraigned.

Those arrested are:

Seth Hawk, 19, of Grafton, who was charged with third-degree burglary and fourth-degree criminal mischief, both felonies; and endangering the welfare of a child and unlawfully dealing with a child, both misdemeanors, for allegedly organizing, advertising and providing alcohol for the party.

Juan Santana, 20, of Grafton, who was charged with misdemeanors of second-degree criminal trespass, endangering the welfare of a child and unlawfully dealing with a child for allegedly providing alcohol for the party.

Cody D. Blain, 21, of Berlin, who was charged with misdemeanors second-degree criminal trespass, endangering the welfare of a child and unlawfully dealing with a child for allegedly providing alcohol for the party.

Meghan Loiselle, 18, of Green Island, who was charged with felony fourth-degree grand larceny for allegedly stealing a granite eagle statue valued at more than $1,200, as well as second-degree criminal trespass.

Mackenzie Grogan, 17, of Cohoes, who was charged with fourth-degree felony grand larceny for allegedly stealing the statue, as well as second-degree criminal trespass.

Keely C. Sullivan, 18, of Troy, who was charged with fourth-degree felony grand larceny for allegedly stealing the statue, as well as second-degree criminal trespass.

Mahar said there would be subsequent arrests and that deputies and investigators must make contact with a couple of hundred people at the party before more arrests are made.

The arrests follow Holloway's submission of paperwork calling for charges against any of the hundreds who allegedly vandalized the home.

According to copies of the affidavits listed on Holloway's helpmesave300.com website, a larceny or criminal possession complaint was filed for a granite eagle statue allegedly stolen from the home and a trespass/burglary complaint was filed for the party being held without his permission.

Prior to the arrests Thursday, Holloway said he decided to file the paperwork because he had given the teens and their parents enough time to come forward and own up. He said that, had more than the handful of students come forward, he would have had a discussion about how the situation should be resolved without necessarily resorting to filing complaints.

"I gave them plenty of opportunities to come and speak with me," he said. "I even gave them the opportunity to get up here, bring all the parents and tell me how we should handle all this."

Holloway said it had come to the point that he needed to take a stand against those who didn't come forward. If he didn't, "then I would be just as guilty as the students and the parents that absolutely failed in stepping forward and being accountable," he said.

A mother of one of the teens at the party, who asked her name and her son's name not be used for fear of repercussions, said prior to the arrests that she wouldn't want to subject her son to the media circus that has been created by the incident by coming forward.

She also objected to suggestions that she hasn't disciplined her teen.

"I'll punish him as I see fit," she said. "I don't need to punish him as Brian Holloway sees fit."

Many of the teens named by Holloway on his website — he later took the names down — or visible in photos have been targeted for abuse by Internet vigilantes.

"He's a responsible kid," the mom said. "He's not a horrible, rotten teenage delinquent."

She said her son was at the party for 45 minutes before coming home and saw no vandalism or stealing.

The Aug. 31 party left Holloway's second home — he spends most of his time in Florida — with what he said is $20,000 in damage.

Holloway said he has more than "200 pieces of evidence to arrest all 300 of them" before saying "what I call evidence and what they (deputies) call evidence is probably two different things." He did not elaborate about the evidence.

He did not say what charges he would like to see lodged.

"It's really in their hands," Holloway said. "I'm not an officer."

The mom said she knows her son was in the wrong to be at the party, and she understands that he may face criminal trespassing charges.

"I don't think any parent could say that they were in the right by being there," she said. "But the direction this is going is completely out of control."

Kenneth C. Crowe II contributed