SUNDERLAND — The liquor license for The O’s Music Bar will be suspended between Monday, Aug. 3 and Friday, Aug. 7, after investigators with the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) caught 14 underage drinkers at the bar in September.
According to the ABCC’s written decision, four ABCC investigators visited The O’s, located at 330 Amherst Road (Route 116), on Wednesday, Sept. 10, at 9:50 p.m.
There, the investigators spoke to 14 underage drinkers who had alcoholic beverages from the bar, the report states. While talking to investigators, the report reads that the majority of the young adults said they presented fake driver’s licenses to enter.
Six of the 14 claimed the bartender did not check for identification before serving their drinks and two customers allegedly told investigators that the bouncer did not scan their licenses. Additionally, investigators reported that two of the underage drinkers said they had entered The O’s through the back door.
The report states that the owner of The O’s, Kenneth O’Neil, indicated to investigators that all of his employees hold Training for Intervention Procedures (TIPS) certification.
In a phone interview on Tuesday afternoon, Williams said detecting fake driver’s licenses is “exceedingly difficult.”
He added that the bar has several safeguards in place to catch underage drinkers, including a driver’s license scanner, a blacklight flashlight for authenticating driver’s licenses and a training manual on identification from the state “to do a better job.” According to O’Neil, the bar was checking IDs at the entrances on Sept. 10 and distributing wristbands to mark patrons over 21 years old.
The ABCC has yet to make a decision regarding another alleged violation involving four instances of underage drinking at The O’s on Thursday, Sept. 11, though the ABCC held its hearing on that violation in March.
The ABCC suspended the bar’s liquor license for nine days, with five days being served starting on Aug. 3 and the other four being put on hold for two years if there are no further violations.
When asked to explain the 10-month gap between the violation and the license suspension taking effect, Andrew Napolitano, spokesperson for the ABCC, replied in an email, “Each licensee is afforded due process. At the conclusion of a hearing, the commission will take the matter under advisement and issue a written decision.” The ABCC’s documents also note the licensee’s right to appeal a decision within 30 days.
O’Neil said he is thankful that the suspension does not overlap with the bar’s Domestic Violence Awareness Festival Fundraiser set for Saturday, Aug. 8. Organized by artist Torie Jock, the event’s proceeds will go toward domestic violence task forces and the family of Emma MacDonald, a 31-year-old University of Massachusetts Amherst staff member who was killed on April 22 after her husband Jeffrey MacDonald allegedly beat her to death.
For $10, attendees can see Jock and other artists like Irma Jones, Over and Out, Ramshackle and The Grandstand Jockeys perform. The event will run from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m.
“We are able to … reopen with a really positive event,” O’Neil said. “We’re focusing on positive things and going from there.”
