La Plata, MD – When store clerk Peter Reshetar handed a six pack of Redd’s Apple Ale to an underage police cadet the evening of May 20, he didn’t do what he normally does.
He forgot to check the purchaser’s identification (i.d.).
That mistake cost him.
Reshetar was fined $300 Thursday, July 14 by the Charles County Board of License Commissioners (Liquor Board), and his employer $750.
It was the clerk’s second violation, which did not sit well with Liquor Board Chair Pamela Smith.
“This is your second offense,” Smith said. “You should be the least person to slip up again. I know you understand how the board feels about this, especially myself.”
“Do you normally ask for an i.d.?” she inquired.
“Yes I do,” Reshetar replied. “We were busy. I slipped. I should have asked for an i.d. and I did not. It was my mistake. I dropped the ball.”
“Was there anything you felt you could have done differently?” Liquor Board Member Thomasina Coates asked.
“The establishment was perfectly fine,” Reshetar explained. “What I should have done is slow down and do what I normally do. The manager tells us every day to card.
“I have not lost my job,” he added. “I am still employed.”
Attorney David Martinez, representing owner Sheena Marie Brawner, said that when this offense occurred, she was in negotiations to sell the business.
“There is a pending transfer of the license,” Martinez noted. “As a result of the pending sale, some of the employees have left.”
Brawner said she has been associated with the business since 1976.
“What is the policy for these types of violations?” Board Member Steve Lowe asked. “What is the policy? Do you have one?”
“Normally, they’re let go,” she said. “I gave him another chance. He’s been a good employee. He made a mistake.”
“Has this thrown a monkey wrench into your trying to sell the business?” Martinez asked.
“That’s correct,” Brawner said. “We all drop the ball sometime at some point. He has been an exemplary employee.”
“Has the contract been finalized?” Coates asked.
“Pending the action of this board,” Martinez responded.
“This is twice,” Smith said. “The third time we can send you to jail. I don’t have any faith in you now. This is no joke.
“I understand people make a mistake, but I don’t want to see you back in here,” she stressed.
Board Member Guy Black suggested a $750 fine for the establishment, three days held in abeyance and the $300 fine for Reshetar, which was approved overwhelmingly by the board.
“That’s a $300 fine for you, sir,” Smith told the server. “Hopefully, that helps you never to make this mistake again.”
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com