Five county businesses cited for liquor sales to underaged

Nineteen alcohol-serving businesses in Lincoln County passed the most recent round of compliance checks on Jan. 18. Five others, however, will pay a penalty after serving alcoholic drinks to a minor.

The Lincoln County Alcohol Enforcement Team supervised people under the age of 21 as they attempted to purchase alcohol at 24 local businesses. Five businesses failed to ask for a valid form of ID prior to serving the minors.

Lincoln County Undersheriff Brent Faulkner said there was no attempt to deceive the servers at any of the establishments.

Here is a list of the businesses that passed the compliance check:

In Libby, Gold Pan Casino, Elk’s Lodge, Crosscut Casino, Maggie’s, Town Pump, Rosauers, Empire Foods and Foxy’s Bar.

In Troy, Trojan Lanes and Stein’s Family Foods successfully passed the check.

In Eureka, Valley Pizza, Four Corners Restaurant, Yong’s Teriyaki, Big Sky Lanes, Town Pump, Stein’s Market, Trapper’s Saloon, Fortine Mercantile and Jerry’s Saloon passed the check.

Here is a look at those businesses that failed the compliance check: In Libby, the American Legion; in Troy, the Silver Spur, Troy Mini-Mart and Stateline House. In Eureka, the Ranch Hand.

Names of the bartenders or counter persons who made the sale were not disclosed.

The Montana Board of Crime Control’s Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) grant will continue to fund enforcement operations aimed at reducing both retail and social availability utilizing methods such as compliance checks, party patrols and source investigations throughout 2014.

Establishments that serve alcohol are encouraged to attend Responsible Alcohol Sales and Service (RASS) Training. These classes are geared toward procedure for checking customer IDs, education regarding Montana liquor laws and liability issues.  

For information regarding the state’s RASS class, “Let’s Control It”, or a pre-approved RASS course, contact the Department of Revenue, Liquor Control Division at (406) 444-4307.