LACONIA - Nine people, four under the age of 18, were charged with intoxication after police broke up an underage drinking party early Thursday morning at 227 Eastman Shore Road North.

Police arrived at the home at 12:25 a.m. to find four to five people drunk in the driveway and others trying to hide inside. Investigators did not release the name of the 17-year-old who hosted the party.

According to a news release, officers could smell an "overwhelming odor of alcohol" coming from the home. Numerous alcohol containers were strewn about the residence.

Police obtained a search warrant after attempts to talk with occpuants inside the house failed because no one would answer the door. Armed with the search warrant, police found 21 young people inside, some hiding in small locked closets.The youngest who had been drinking was 14 years old, police said. Nine people were cited for intoxication; four were under the age of 18.

Police released the names of those over the age of 18, who were arrested for unlawful intoxication (internal possession). They are Christopher Grene, 19, Andrew Hawthorne, 19, Kerry Gagnon, 19, and Jeffrey Roy, 19, all of Laconia; Kimberlee Deinema, 20, of Canaan, Vt.

Meredith and Gilford police assisted Laconia officers at the scene as well as throughout the night, handling calls for service that came in during the incident.

Police said the incident remains under investigation.