8 months after SC closed bars at 11 p.m. amid COVID, first York County bar cited
A York County bar owner was cited over the weekend for an alleged violation of South Carolina’s ban on serving and consuming alcohol after 11 p.m. during the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said.
The citation for booze after hours appears to be the first summons issued in York, Chester and Lancaster counties since the closing time ban went into effect in June of 2020.
Agents with the York County Multijurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit and Alcohol Enforcement Team wrote the citation late Friday after receiving complaints about after-hours alcohol at the Caddy Shack bar in Lake Wylie, according to police and a York County Sheriff’s Office incident report.
The executive order went into effect in July 2020.
“Investigators observed that the employees at the establishment continued serving alcohol after 11:00 p.m.,” the report states. “A large number of patrons were continuing to congregate both inside and outside of the bar and were continuing to consume their alcoholic beverages after hours as well, which violates an Executive Order in reference to Emergency Restrictions due to the COVID-19 crisis.”
The earlier close time was put in place to stop the spread of coronavirus, The State newspaper reported in 2020.
B.J. Kennedy, commander of the drug and alcohol unit, said York County agents will investigate if there are allegations of after-hours service that violates the law under the coronavirus restrictions.
“We will take these type of complaints seriously,” Kennedy said.
Citation is a violation of state law during coronavirus pandemic
The citation, a misdemeanor, carries a fine of up to $100 or 30 days in jail for a conviction, according to the executive order and Tommy Crosby, spokesman for the State Law Enforcement Division. Crosby said all law enforcement agencies in the state are authorized to cite violators.
The executive order states, “The sale or consumption of beer, wine, or liquor on the licensed premises of all persons and businesses authorized to sell beer, wine, or alcoholic liquor in the State of South Carolina, as set forth, shall remain prohibited between the hours of 11 p.m. and 10 a.m. the following day, for the duration of the State of Emergency unless otherwise modified, amended, extended or rescinded by subsequent order.”
In York, Chester and Lancaster counties, officials with the sheriff’s offices in Chester and Lancaster county, and police departments in Rock Hill, Fort Mill and York, each said those agencies have not issued any after-hours COVID citations.
It is unclear how many citations for violating the closing time order have been issued in South Carolina, SLED spokesman Crosby said.
This story was originally published February 9, 2021 at 8:16 AM.
