Cape Coral homeowner challenges allegations stemming from house party arrest

A Cape Coral homeowner is defending himself after being arrested following a house party that took place at his home. Police say it involved underage teens, drugs, and alcohol. Samir Mukovic, 25, was arrested after allowing a promoter to use his home on Diplomat Parkway near NW 8th Place for what was intended to be an 18-and-up event. Mukovic saw our story online and wanted to speak with us."That's the reason I'm doing this interview right now, is because I need to let everybody know that this was not supposed to happen," Mukovic said. Mukovic said he arrived home to find police already there and a fight outside his house. "The cops showed up. The first time I had pulled into my driveway with the cop already here. That is on body cam. There was a fight outside. That's what I came to," he said. He said approximately 150 people were inside his home, and he had to kick most of them out. When asked when the crowd reached that size, Mukovic said, "It was probably around 10:30 p.m." Police reported seeing 30 people inside the home, many of whom were underage, and noted the presence of drugs and alcohol. Mukovic denied the allegations, saying, "I just don't believe that there was any cocaine involved. No drugs or alcohol were provided to these people." A police report stated the party was promoted on Snapchat, including posts in a group called "2000s Parties." Mukovic was confronted with claims that he personally invited some of the teenagers. "I did personally invite, you know, a small group of my own friends that I have that are 18, 19 years old. Nobody that I actively talk to on a daily basis or hang out with is under the age of 18 years old, because obviously I'm 25, that just doesn't sound right," he said. Mukovic said the promoter, whom he described as a 20-year-old he had met a couple of times, left the party, leaving him with a crowd of people. Cape Coral police expressed concerns about Mukovic's actions on Tuesday. "He's not someone who's watching out for the well-being of these children, and there's just a lot of unknowns as to what can happen, which presents a real issue that we see," said Mercedes Simonds of the Cape Coral Police Department. Mukovic said he feels he is being unfairly portrayed."I'm not the weird guy that the news is trying to portray me as," he said.DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment, and original programming on your TV.