The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Alcohol Enforcement Unit recently conducted a series of alcohol compliance checks at 12 businesses in central and southern St. Mary’s County.
Eleven of the establishments were found to be compliant, while one business failed to ask an underage person for identification.
The covert compliance checks were conducted on Friday, April 21, 2023, at 3 pm starting in Leonardtown for the second annual Leonardtown Luau, utilizing an underage individual. The 20-year-old was wearing plain clothes, carried no identification and was directed to enter each establishment to order an alcoholic beverage at the bar or while seated at a table.
Of the 12 businesses visited, 11 (92 percent) were found in compliance with Maryland law and required identification from the underage person. One business failed to ask for identification or failed to corroborate the person’s age and the underage individual was able to purchase an alcoholic beverage underage.
Businesses found in compliance were:
- Antoinette’s Garden in Leonardtown
- Brudergarten in Leonardtown
- Olde Town Pub in Leonardtown
- Slice House in Leonardtown
- The Slice House II Go in Leonardtown
- Social Coffeehouse & Speakeasy in Leonardtown
- Sweetbay Restaurant and Bar in Leonardtown
- The Rex in Leonardtown
- Beacon Liquors in Callaway
- Tacos Hacienda in Callaway
- Cooks Liquors and Groceries in Park Hall.
The one business found to be in violation was The Front Porch in Leonardtown. The alcohol violation report was forwarded to the St. Mary’s County Alcohol Beverage Board for review.