The Alcohol Beverage Board of St. Mary’s County on Feb. 14 accepted admissions or guilty pleas and imposed fines on multiple retail licensees after countywide compliance checks on Dec. 30, 2007 found sales of alcohol to a person under 21.

Board Vice Chairman Tom Sachs opened the hearings and read the charges, which cited the Annotated Code of Maryland, Article 2B (sale of alcoholic beverages to a person under the age of 21) and the Alcohol Beverage Board of Saint Mary’s County rules and regulations (sections 5.04j and 5.04b). Attorneys for the licensees told the board their clients would admit the sale and asked for consideration during the penalty phase.

Nut graf: The board treated six separate retail cases together during the session. Each case involved a confidential informant who attempted to purchase alcohol on Dec. 30, 2007; deputies later showed clerks a photograph and recorded admissions or identifications. The board imposed monetary fines and recorded appeal/payment timelines in each case.

The board’s actions and key details:
- Canopy Liquors (21636 Great Mills Road, Lexington Park): The board accepted the admission that an employee sold a six-pack of Miller Lite to a confidential informant. The board approved a $500 fine for sale to a person under 21 and a separate $500 fine for "commission of acts on licensed premises contrary to state law" (rules §5.04b). Fines were due within 10 days; a 30-day right to appeal to the circuit court was noted.

- Howes Food Mart (46920 Shangri La Drive, Lexington Park): The board accepted an admission that an employee sold a six-pack of Miller Lite to an underage informant. The board imposed a $500 fine for the sale and a $500 fine for the commission-of-acts violation; both motions carried and the licensee was told of the 10-day payment and 30-day appeal periods.

- Marilyn McKay Liquors (23860 Hollywood Road, Hollywood): The license holder and counsel described a longtime operation (the attorney said the licensee had a decades-long record without violations). The board accepted the admission and imposed two fines of $250 each (one for sale to a person under 21 and one for commission-of-acts) for a total of $500; the board cited the long record as the basis for a reduced fine.

- Piney Point Market (17449 Piney Point Road): The licensee acknowledged a prior violation in February 2007 and admitted the Dec. 30 sale. The board reinstated previously suspended fines from the earlier case and imposed new $500 fines on each count, resulting in $750 assessed for each of the two current violations and a total of $1,500. The board recorded the 10-day payment and 30-day appeal timeline.

- Tackle Box (licensee Kenneth R. Lamb, Lexington Park): The board accepted admissions for a sale to a person under 21 and commission-of-acts; motions carried to fine $300 on each violation for a $600 total. The board reminded the licensee of the 10-day payment and 30-day appeal periods.

- Additional compliance-check testimony and administrative notes: Board members and counsel discussed transfers, training (TAM certification), and the practical difficulty clerks sometimes have distinguishing vertical (under-21) driver’s licenses. Several license holders described employee errors (looking at the tobacco date rather than the alcohol date) and said they had suspended or disciplined staff.

Ending: In each case the board recorded standard administrative instructions: fines payable to the county treasurer via the board administrator, 10 days to pay, and 30 days to file an appeal in circuit court. The board signaled continued emphasis on TAM training and register/ID station procedures as primary prevention steps.