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Updated: 1:05 PM Feb 12, 2009
ABC Charging the Pub
Harrisonburg, Va. The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has filed two charges against a Harrisonburg restaurant about a month after an employee charged in a hit-and-run death admitted to drinking after hours.
Posted: 6:44 PM Feb 11, 2009Reporter: Michael Hyland Email Address: mhyland@whsv.com |
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3 Comments 
The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has filed charges against a local restaurant.
The Pub, in Harrisonburg, is facing two charges related to employees allegedly drinking after hours. This follows an investigation after an employee at the Pub was accused in the hit-and-run death of 55-year-old Sherry Anderson in January.
The employee, Bethany "Bess" Jones, has been fired, but the future of the restaurant is now in question.
If the charges prove true, it will be the second time in less than 12 months the Pub has been found guilty of allowing employees to drink after hours.
Bill Royer, the Pub's owner, says the night of the alleged hit-and-run, Bess Jones was responsible for closing up.
"No one was served anything. Ms. Jones decided to stay here and drink on her own volition," says Royer.
He adds that Jones was the only person inside the restaurant that night, drinking after the 1 a.m. closing time.
Virginia ABC spokesperson Becky Gettings says, "For any administrative hearing, it could be dismissal, fines, suspension, or revocation."
That means the Pub could lose its liquor license on top of the $1,000 fine it had to previously pay because of after-hours drinking in July.
"I can't be here 24/7," says Royer.
Royer says he tries to put trustworthy people in management positions. .
"Ms. Jones did a good job in what she did do. This was just one incident that she did something she certainly shouldn't have done. It caused grave consequences," says Royer.
Royer says, for the last month, either he or another co-owner have personally been closing the restaurant to try to put a stop to after-hours drinking.
"Truth of the matter is, I own the establishment, my name is on the license," says Royer. "Therefore, it falls back on me."
Jones is scheduled to be in court March 3. As for the Pub, the ABC hearing on these charges is scheduled for February 25.
In January, Jones also admitted to drinking after hours at Finnigan's Cove, another restaurant in Harrisonburg, during a court hearing.
The ABC investigated, but they did not find any grounds to charge Finnigan's.
Latest Comments
I am not sure why people are concentrating on Finnegan's Cove in this story. Bethany Jones drank at Finnegan's at 1 am and left before 2 am. There is nothing illegal about that. News just loves to drag as many people into it as possible. The Pub and Bethany Jones are obviously the ones at fault in this tragedy. My heart goes out to the Anderson Family.
The Pub put their faith and trust in Bess to take responsibilities. Thats why they call them managers. The owners can't be there 24/7. The owners work during the day at the Pub and return later on that night to help the staff. The staff had been warned that if they were caught drinking or giving drinks away they would be terminated. That was the same as stealing. In fact, if she was drinking after hours that meant she was violating the curfew also. The Pub did not ALLOW her to drink after hours. Do you people really believe that Bill would allow after hours drinking that would in turn jeopardize their license? Nooo...I don't think so. You people get a grip and back up and regroup. That's exactly what Bess should have done. Because if she had have just thought about what she was doing none of this would be happening. Sometimes in life we make wrong choices. In this case, the Pub's license wouldn"t be in question and a family would not be without wife and mother.
I've been sitting back and reading all the cruel and irritating comments about the Pub. Everyone commenting on things they don't even no the facts about. There are so many twisted stories out there that are not true. Bess is a young woman that chose to do something that she will regret for the rest of her life. She chose to do something that may harm the Pub's future. She chose to come back into the Pub after hours and help herself to the alcohol. There was no one to serve her and the Pub did not allow her to drink. She was a manager with a key and she let herself in after hours. Its my understanding the Pub closed at 1:00 and she then left to go to another bar to have a few drinks before 2:00a.m. She then returned to the Pub to finish her cleaning and closing out. She should have never left in the first place. As far as the Pub being charged twice for a similar incidence this is not true. They were charged once and chose to pay a fine of $1000.00.
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