Alcohol check nabs club

Six of seven Libby establishments

checked during the second round of alcohol compliance surveys

conducted Saturday passed screenings, meaning a bar employee asked

an underage drinker for identification and then refused to serve

that minor upon learning that person was too young to be

served.

Conducting the Libby operation was

Lincoln County Deputy Robert Salyer, who is from the Eureka office.

The Libby Police Department assisted in the operation.

In Libby, Treasure Mountain Casino,

Mint Bar, the VFW, Pastime Bar, Lincoln Lanes and Torgy’s all

passed the compliance checks. A seventh establishment, the Elks

Lodge, was closed at the time and no check was performed.

The lone establishment in Libby that

failed the compliance check was the American Legion.

However, Salyer offered this comment

about the operation.

“I was impressed that every bartender

we encountered asked for an ID from both the underage buyer and

myself,” Salyer said.

“I was even more impressed when we went

into the VFW and as soon as we walked into the door we were asked

for our IDs before even making it to the bar. Good job to all who

passed and keep up the good work.”

Libby Police Chief Jim Smith discussed

the operation Monday at the City Council meeting.

Smith said the American Legion tender

asked for an identification, paused a moment while looking at the

ID, and then served the minor alochol, facts confirmed Wednesday by

American Legion Bar Manager Bobbi McNulty.

“We have this machine that reads IDs,”

McNulty began. “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. She put

it in the reader, and it didn’t register, so she looked at it and

then gave it back.

“This is just a shame, (Ruby Prentice)

did what she was supposed to do.

“I just feel so bad. I understand we

could be fined as much as $1,000. We don’t know what to expect.

We’re headed to court on Monday.”

“She’s been (bartending) a long time.

It’s just a terrible mistake on her part. We all feel so bad about

it.”

The Interagency Alcohol Enforcement

Team (AET) includes officers from all law enforcement agencies

within Lincoln County including the Lincoln County Sheriff’s

Office, Montana Highway Patrol, Troy, Libby and Eureka City Police

Departments.

In an ongoing effort to further reduce

underage drinking and drinking and driving, the Lincoln County

Sheriff’s Office secured funding that allowed for the formation of

the AET and subsequent training in environmental prevention

strategies through grant dollars made available by the Montana

Board of Crime Control’s Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL)

grant.

Grant funded enforcement operations

aimed at reducing both retail and social availability such as

compliance checks, party patrols, shoulder tap operations and

source investigations will continue will through December 2012.