By Adam Swift
The licensing commission held a lengthy public hearing on a number of alleged violations that took place at Heller’s Liquors on Broadway in early March at last week’s commission meeting.
The commission ultimately decided to hold a two-day suspension in abeyance for the next six months. The suspension will not be enacted as long as there are no further violations at the liquor store over the next six months, according to Commission Chair Marnie MacAlpine.
In addition, the owner of the store, Ike Asoguh, must submit proof that his employees have undergone TIPS or another alcohol-service training program.
Chelsea Police Sgt. Star Chung presented written reports and video surveillance focused on alleged sales to at least one intoxicated person on March 11.
In addition, a further inspection of the store by police the next day turned up several alleged license violations regarding the placement of proper regulation signage in the store.
Chung said that during the morning of March 11, several men known to Chelsea police were observed going into the store to purchase liquor several times during the morning, becoming increasingly intoxicated over the course of the morning.
The video surveillance showed one man making three purchases of what Chung said was vodka before 11 a.m. Surveillance video showed the man, on his third visit to the store, drinking the vodka from the bottle at the checkout counter immediately after the purchase.
Chung said she and another officer requested an officer with a body camera to go into the store when the man attempted to make a fourth purchase before noon of that day.
Chung said that video footage showed the man with his pants riding low and his buttocks exposed, glassy-eyed and slurring his speech, attempting to purchase more liquor. Chung said the sales clerk was about to complete the purchase before police put a stop to it.
MacAlpine said the biggest issue she had with the incident was the overserving of an already intoxicated customer, as well as the drinking in the store.
Asoguh noted that the clerk was new to the store, and that he was supposed to train her on that day, but that he had a medical issue he had to take care of that morning.
“I do understand that this is the very first infraction that you’ve had before us, it being a new employee, but, in that same sense, I understand it is her first or second day, you are telling us there are some extenuating circumstances due to a personal medical condition, but is is important in a licensed establishment that nobody is left to handle the sale or serving of alcohol that isn’t fully trained,” said MacAlpine. “So whether that meant your store couldn’t be opened that day, or somebody else had to be called in, it is imperative that moving forward, you never have anybody left in your store who is not properly trained in that service of alcohol. You are jeopardizing your license by not having somebody personally trained, and having to close your business for one day because you don’t have somebody to staff it who is properly trained is going to affect you far less than having to come before the licensing board and having your license taken away because something goes wrong.”
Asoguh said he would take the incident as a learning experience and ensure that everyone in his store is properly trained.
In other business, the commission approved amending the recreational marijuana license for Rise at 200 Beacham St. to include medical marijuana.