Today, a jury in Tonawanda returned a guilty verdict against former Lancaster Police Officer Andrew Gill, who was charged with misdemeanor assault after allegedly punching Justin Mangold as many as 10-15 times, breaking his nose during a booze-fueled party on New Year's Eve 2009.

While a case of assault is relatively routine and normally would garner little more than a passing mention, not only was Gill a cop, but he was a well-connected cop. His father, Gerald, is the chief of police in Lancaster. His uncle, William Cansdale Jr., is the mayor of the Village. Rookie cop accused in a violent drunken assault is going to draw some attention. Add in a dad in the department and an uncle in local politics, and you've got big news.

My issue with this case has nothing to do with the guilt or innocence of Officer Gill. The jury heard the evidence and determined the answer to that question. My frustration comes from the fact that the alleged victim in this case, Justin Mangold, was 17 at the time of the alleged assault.

While all of the public rage has been directed at Gill and his perceived abuse of power and family connections, lost in the sensational storyline of cop-gone-bad is the fact that this 17-year-old minor was at a party, drinking vodka and beer prior to the assault, which took place at 3 in the morning.

Mangold and his family have been given a free pass for his illegal actions on the night in question. Worse yet, in the various news accounts of the trial, the underage drinking element of the case is rarely, if ever mentioned. It is all about the big bad cop attacking the teenager. Why is no one asking the real question: What was a 17-year-old kid doing in a basement of someone's house playing beer pong at three in the morning? Should there not be some accountability on the part of the "victim?" If in the act of robbing a bank, you trip on the way out the door and are injured, can you sue the bank? Of course not. Likewise, if you choose to commit a crime (underage drinking) do you not assume some responsibility for what might happen?

This is not to say that Gill, who had admitted to striking Mangold, but claimed self-defense, was right in what he did. As a police officer, he should have known better, and he too, should have exercised better judgment. The difference is, he paid for his actions with the loss of his career and the potential of a year behind bars when he is sentenced July 7. Mangold, on the other hand, is being portrayed as an innocent victim when that is clearly far from the truth.

To watch his grandfather and aunts talk to news reporters outside of court yesterday was appalling.

His grandfather, Thomas Mangold had this to say: "To have a police officer beat up your grandson, that's pretty bad." Really? But apparently you're OK with your grandson attending drinking parties and playing beer pong? Interesting.

Not to be outdone, one of Mangold's aunt's weighed in with this gem: "He was only 17-years-old. The police officer was young, but he's trained to react in a different manner and he should have walked away or done it different. He didn't have to beat him up."

You got part of it right, he was 17-years-old. Yet there is no mention of his culpability in the event, no response to the fact that her darling nephew was at a drinking party at three in the morning. Instead, poor Justin is the victim of the mean, nasty cop.

The bottom line is this: it is simply amazing that no one is even addressing the issue of the underage drinking and the role it played in this event. Have we become so jaded that those of us who think a teenager shouldn't be staying out all night at drinking parties are old-fashioned and just don't get it? Is it now assumed that kids drink and that's just the way it is? I certainly hope not.

For those of you who think it doesn't matter, and this was a case of "kids being kids," you need to pay a visit to Erie County MADD president Beth Obad the next time she is speaking on the subject of underage drinking. Having had the chance to see her speak on several occasions, hearing her share the stories with high school students about the dangers of engaging in "drinking games" and the fatal consequences that can accompany those games, you might think about this case a bit differently.

Two crimes were committed that night. Somehow, people seem to be choosing to ignore the second one.