A compliance check Saturday night during Riverbend yielded one violation of selling alcohol to a minor, Chattanooga police said.
The Knights of Columbus booth ID’d an 18-year-old girl, gave her a bracelet for buying alcohol, then allowed her to purchase beer, police said. The underage buyer was working with the Chattanooga Police Department to check for violations.
Friends of the Festival, which puts on Riverbend, as well as the Knights of Columbus, will appear before the city Beer and Wrecker Board at a later date. Friends of the Festival has not yet been given a citation, but will receive one soon, police said.
The buyer also showed her ID at the U.S. Navy Reservist tent and was given a bracelet, but the beer seller double-checked the ID and refused the sale, police said.
Friends of the Festival was cited twice last year after two vendors sold beer to underage patrons. The organization appeared before the Beer and Wrecker Board and was placed on probation for this year’s event, as well as fined $1,000.
This year, each vendor signed an agreement saying that representatives would appear alongside Friends of the Festival should anyone be cited to the beer board.
Executive Director Chip Baker said Wednesday morning he was not aware of the underage selling violation.
“We’re as vigilant as ever,” he said. “We’re as trained as ever. We just don’t have any room for error.”
For complete details, see tomorrow’s Times Free Press.
Or login with:
New Account