Underage Alcohol Enforcement Operation nets 186 citations at Sugar House Pub

SALT LAKE CITY — A Sugar House bar is at risk of a fine and had its alcohol service suspended in an emergency order after a monthslong investigation uncovered a hot spot for underage drinking.

On Nov. 22, the State Bureau of Investigation’s Alcohol Enforcement Section conducted a sting operation, and of the approximately 200 people inside Sugar House Pub, 186 were under the age of 21, and six of them were just 17 years old, according to Lt. Jeff Adams.

“It was a packed bar, there was a lot of business going on in there, and there were a lot of minors that we could see,” Adams said.

On Friday, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services issued an emergency order.

“Given the alarming findings of nearly 200 minors at the bar, the DABS today issued an emergency order to suspend alcohol service at Sugarhouse Pub while the investigative report is under review. As of today, the DABS does not know when or if the alcohol service suspension will be lifted,” the department said.

Adams said the state’s investigation into the bar started months ago after a DUI arrest was linked to alcohol served at the establishment. Over time, SBI received more complaints, including underage patrons having access to the bar, and overservice violations.

“We knew that there was something going on,” Adams said. “We had even received some information from a prior employee saying that they had allowed minors inside the bar and served them alcohol.”

Adams said that during the investigation, several agents visited the bar to gather evidence validating the complaints, and on the night of their November operation, law enforcement secured the building while the patrons were inside.

“What we ended up doing is we sent a couple of officers in, in uniform, to talk to the management, and then we secured off the rest of the building. Basically, no one was allowed outside of the bar until they were ID’d through our officer at the front door,” he said.

Adams said the process of identifying everyone inside Sugar House Pub and issuing the 186 citations to those under the age of 21 took approximately four hours. During that process, 50 fake IDs were recovered.

“The bars have so much responsibility. It’s way more than just taking an ID and scanning it through their scanners. They need to make sure that whoever they get that identification from looks like they’re over 21 for one, and if they don’t, such as the 17-year-olds, they should have refused them entrance at the door,” Adams said. “There’s no way that they should have been allowed inside the bar.”

The six minors that were cited during the operation were held in custody until a guardian could collect them. For some, that meant contacting their parents who live out of state in the middle of the night. Adams said one 18-year-old patron was also held due to his level of intoxication.

“There was there was one individual inside the bar, one minor that was heavily, heavily intoxicated to the point where we, even though he was over 18, we wouldn’t release him for his safety until he had a responsible party,” he said.

SBI submitted a formal referral to Utah’s Department of Alcoholic Services on Thursday, officially starting the disciplinary process of taking administrative action against the bar. The result of that process could lead to a fine and possibly even Sugar House Pub losing its alcohol license.

“This operation marks a significant turning point in alcohol enforcement for our state,” said Department of Public Safety Commissioner Jess L. Anderson in a statement. “The dedication and professionalism of our State Bureau of Investigation and their partners have established a new standard for public safety. Their efforts have undoubtedly saved lives and strengthened our communities.”

Adams said Sugar House Pub built a reputation for serving minors. On the night of their operation, some of the patrons who were cited for being underage in the bar admitted to visiting the establishment for that very reason.

“They fostered that sort of culture, community, whatever you want to call it, and word was out on the street that that’s where the minors could get into the bar,” he said.

Adams said this investigation should serve as a warning to bouncers, bartenders, and bar owners that this type of underage activity won’t be tolerated in Utah.

While the fake IDs can be convincing, Adams warns bar owners that they must do a better job identifying them and ensuring that those who try to use them don’t get access to the establishment.

“The bars have so much responsibility. It’s way more than just taking an ID and scanning it through their scanners,” he said.

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