Leonardtown, MD — The luck of the Irish was not with a Hollywood bar on St. Patrick’s Day.

The license of the Hollywood Shakers has been suspended for two weeks by the Alcohol Beverage Board (liquor board) after an incident on St. Patrick’s Day in which a St. Mary’s County deputy sheriff witnessed a woman drinking beer in the parking lot of the bar on Mervell Dean Road.

The decision by the liquor board at its April 13 meeting that the violation did occur came a month after the board imposed a $1,250 fine against the owners of the bar after ruling that three violations of board rules occurred during a fight at the bar just before Christmas of last year. The bar’s licensees are Donny Dunbar and Sean Earley, who took over the establishment last September.

At their March meeting, the board also suspended a $250 fine. That fine was re-imposed but an additional $1,000 fine was suspended in a motion by board Chairman Moses Saldana and adopted unanimously.

Saldana, who was not at the March hearing, said the earlier incident which prompted the fines really should have instead led to a suspension or revocation. “This is the worst performance I have seen for any new business in the nine years I have been on the board,” he declared.

The board heard testimony from Corporal James Stone, the board’s outgoing alcohol control officer, that he was on patrol on St. Patrick’s evening with a police cadet when he started chasing a motorist suspected of drunk driving. The car lulled into the parking lot of Hollywood Shakers.

While investigating the drunk driving case the deputy testified that he observed a woman go around the side of the bar and then she started guzzling a beer. The bar only has an on-sale license and drinking outside is against the law.

The deputy said he confronted the woman who said she had gotten the beer inside and that she wasn’t aware that she couldn’t drink outside. The deputy also played a tape of an argument that later ensued between himself and several bar employees who claimed he was harassing them.

Deputy Stone’s statements were corroborated by the cadet, Briana Edelen.
During the hearing, bartender Lisa Dean that she was told by a man outside the bar that the woman had come with him and that she had brought the beer with her. Dean said she believed the woman got the beer from the car and didn’t bring it from inside the bar.

But in the end there was no evidence to refute what the deputy observed — that the woman was drinking at the parking lot. Corporal Stone also showed pictures from the next morning of the parking lots on both sides of the street littered with empty bottles and cans.

The owners contended that they are being blamed for actions of patrons of Toots Bar next door. The bars share parking on both sides of the road. But Saldana strongly suggested that the owners of the two bars get together to work out issues related to parking.

The licensees of the Hollywood Shakers have 30 days to appeal the suspension to circuit court.

Before the hearing, Corporal Stone was honored by the liquor board for his years of service as their alcohol enforcement coordinator.

Contact Dick Myers at dick,myers@thebaynet.com