St. Mary's County board fines multiple businesses after Oct. 22 underage compliance checks

The Alcohol Beverage Board of St. Mary's County on Thursday heard admissions and imposed fines, training requirements and probationary conditions on multiple licensees after an Oct. 22 underage compliance operation by the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office.

Board attorney James Sinovich read findings saying Corporal James Stone worked with Sheriff's cadet Brianna Eland (age 19) during a compliance operation; Eland attempted controlled buys at multiple businesses and was able to complete purchases in several cases after clerks failed to check or enforce identification. The board received admissions of the violations in each case and moved to the penalty phase for each licensee.

Among the establishments the board addressed were Abel's Tavern; Hermanville C Store; Sign of the Whale; Russell Store; Stop and Shop (Lexington Park); and W.J. Dent (Chiefs Bar). For most licensees the board followed its guidance matrix and imposed a $1,000 fine with $500 suspended and a three-year probationary period, and required payment of $500 within 10 days or suspension of the license until payment. The board also required or recommended responsible service (RAS) training for licensees and their employees in multiple cases.

Samantha Gallatin, a server at Abel's Tavern, admitted she failed to…