Sweep logs 289 liquor violations

Surprise inspections of more than 740 alcohol-serving establishments by state Alcoholic Beverage Control agents this weekend netted about 289 violations — mainly for selling products to minors.

“Operation Check-In” is the agency’s first organized violation inspection sweep, said Boyce Hamlet, director of the agency’s Enforcement Division.

“Our enforcement agents are out there every day doing compliance checks,” Hamlet said. “This organized operation was pretty successful in a lot of different ways. We will be doing more in the future on high-risk occasions.”

The operation began on Friday and ended Sunday with 18 agents conducting surprise visits to businesses such as liquor stores, bars, convenience stores and private clubs located all over the state, Hamlet said.

The weekend after Independence Day was chosen for the operation because of increased alcohol consumption and spikes in arrests for driving while intoxicated during the period, Hamlet said.

Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said the reports on the number of DWIs for the holiday weekend were not complete as of late Monday.

About 142 tickets were handed out for establishments selling alcohol to minors. Another 147 were issued for various other violations such as continuing to serve intoxicated patrons.

“Our agents covered a lot of ground over a short period, providing a strong reminder that noncompliance is not tolerated,” Hamlet said. “When someone sells to a minor or over-serves, it becomes a public safety issue and it is our responsibility to ensure this behavior is detected and discontinued.”

Each agent oversaw a region in the state and worked closely with local law enforcement to investigate the violations uncovered.

Hamlet said the reports were not immediately available that identified the establishments and charges issued.

There are more than 5,000 active alcohol permits in Arkansas. Each month the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board rules on fines and other penalties for numerous violations that include serving alcohol to minors, over-serving to intoxicated persons, drugs on the premises or failing to cooperate with Alcoholic Beverage Control officers.

Of the 63 violations reported in June, the majority were for selling alcohol

to minors. The fines and penalties ranged from $500 and 60 days of probation to instances like Colton’s Steakhouse & Grill in Van Buren, which was charged $3,000 and placed on a year of probation for furnishing alcoholic beverages to a minor, the most recent of several violations by the

restaurant in the last year, according to Alcoholic Beverage Control.

Scott Hardin, spokesman for the state Department of Finance and Administration, which oversees the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division, said previously that it is uncommon to have numerous sales-to-minors violations because the initial violation will usually modify the behavior.