Nov. 21--A St. Charles tavern involved in its fourth incident or violation by police in five months, this time for serving alcohol to an underage person, faces what could be the strictest penalty authorized by the liquor commission yet.
Peter Milligan, owner of The Filling Station, pled guilty Monday night in front of the city's liquor commission for serving alcohol to a 20-year-old woman on Oct. 29, who later that night was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and disclosing a breath alcohol level of .212 percent, according to a police report.
"There's certainly no doubt in my mind this is one of the more egregious offenses a licensee can commit," said St. Charles Mayor Ray Rogina, who serves as liquor control commissioner.
Rogina said the woman was allowed into the bar after a bartender overruled a bouncer, who checked identification at the entrance. The bartender said she knew the woman, and believed her to be 21 because she knew the group of people the woman was drinking with to be at least 21 years of age, according to the police report.
Rogina said Milligan was apologetic in front of the commission Monday, and said the bartender was no longer employed at The Filling Station.
Milligan could not be reached for comment.
After Milligan's guilty plea, Rogina said commissioners entered a closed-door session to discuss the appropriate penalty, which will be announced in seven to 10 days.
Rogina said it is ultimately his responsibility to issue a penalty with the advice of the other commissioners.
This is The Filling Station's sixth incident or violation in the last three years. In 2011, the bar was fined for consumption of alcohol after hours. In August 2013, the bar was found guilty and fined for allowing a customer to exit the bar with the possession of an alcoholic beverage.
This year, the bar paid $1,500 in fines and $500 in legal fees after allowing alcohol to be purchased at the bar and consumed off the premise and for failing to post an employee at the bar's entrance during required hours. This resulted in a late-night permit suspension from midnight to 2 a.m. on the nights of Sept. 13 and Sept. 14.
Prior to the underage drinking violation, the bar received a warning letter this month following a fight on its premises.
Rogina said the key to preventing such offenses isn't by mandating earlier bar closures, since that isn't fair to the city's many law-abiding bars. He instead believes education to be the most effective strategy, and holding training sessions for licensees.
A good penalty down the line for similar offenses would be to ask the licensee to state in writing their plans to change their business practices in order to avoid such incidents in the future, he said.
"Either you won't do it, or you'll pay the price for it if you do," he said. "Let's follow the rules, and if you do that, you're gonna be fine."
