Bars targeted for underage drinkers

CELINA - Celina police officers are stepping up enforcement at downtown businesses serving alcohol and recently cited employees at four establishments for selling to underage customers.

"This is one of my pet peeves, quite honestly," Celina Police Chief Tom Wale told city council members at Monday night's meeting. "I have no problem whatsoever having liquor establishments. If people want to go drink, they can go drink. But there's rules that drinkers have to follow. There's rules that bar owners have to follow."

On Nov. 1, the department used a 20-year-old volunteer from Grand Lake Law Enforcement Academy to help conduct compliance checks. The volunteer, sometimes with a large X on his hand indicating he was underage, presented his identification upon request at the establishments, Wale said.

Under police supervision, the volunteer was able to buy beer at Boots 'n Bourbon, Shooterz Bar, Westside Carryout and Celina Wine Store, Wale said.

"While that is not good, Club 211, Sidetrack Bar and Grill and Lakeview Carryout refused to sell him beer," Wale said.

The people who sold the beer were cited for selling to an underage customer and a report will be sent to the state liquor control board, which could take action against the permit holders, Wale said.

"Usually if it's a first offense, it may be a fine, but if they continue to have offenses, it can go just the same way Club Oasis (went)," Wale said.

That club had been the scene of multiple incidents, according to police accounts. Council members in April 2010 objected to the renewal of the Club Oasis' liquor license. The liquor control board denied the renewal and the site has since reopened as Boots 'n Bourbon with a new liquor permit holder.

Wale said the department will continue to conduct random compliance checks at liquor establishments.

"We will be back. This isn't going to be something that happens every five or 10 years like it used to. This is going to be something we do, I'll say periodically," Wale said. "If they know we're coming back, maybe they'll think twice about selling underage."

Wale on Monday night also presented a report of statistics for the past six months of law-enforcement activity at Shooterz, 211 Club, Sidetracks and Boots 'n Bourbon.

The statistics are consistent with a previous report, but Wale singled out activity at Boots 'n Bourbon, which has been operating only since August.

"They've got pretty much double everybody's fight calls. They're right in the running with all the disorderly calls," Wale said. "So they are active as far as (a) law-enforcement standpoint."

"Is there one bar uptown that's continually worse than the rest of them?" councilman Bill Sell asked.

Wale said Boots 'n Bourbon has been in business only a short time and law-enforcement activity stats are catching up with the other bars in town.

"I think it's kind of a short time frame to be able to just point the finger at Boots 'n Bourbon and say they're a bad bar," Wale said. "At the moment their numbers are up."