St. Mary's County board fines four establishments after sheriff's underage compliance checks

The Alcohol Beverage Board of St. Mary's County on July 9, 2025 imposed fines, training requirements and a one‑day suspension on several licensees after sheriff's office alcohol compliance checks found servers sold alcoholic beverages to a 19‑year‑old confidential informant.

The board cited violations of §6‑304 of the Alcoholic Beverages Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland and section 5.04(j) of the Alcohol Beverage Board of St. Mary's County rules and regulations in all four matters. The board read facts from sheriff's office reports that a confidential informant, accompanied by special‑operations officers, ordered alcoholic beverages and was served despite lacking ID.

Why it matters: the board used the compliance checks to apply penalties ranging from modest fines to a $2,500 penalty plus a suspension, underscoring the county's enforcement of underage‑sale laws and the board's updated penalty authority.

Front Porch (22770 Washington Street, Leonardtown) Licensees Jordan Walker and Jeffrey P. Lewis were cited after a server, identified in the record as Taylor Kathleen Staley, served a glass of Pinot Grigio to the confidential informant on April 29. The board's record shows Staley “failed to ask the confidential informant for any identification” before or after service and later admitted the lapse…