The Stone Lounge, located at 128 Main St. in Cortland, has lost its liquor license. Chairman Vincent Bradley, Commissioner Lily Fan, and Commissioner Greeley Ford from the State Liquor Authority (SLA) ordered the suspension of the license to Fuller’s Tavern of Cortland, Inc. otherwise known as The Stone Lounge.
The suspension came at their regular meeting on October 26th and took effect immediately. No alcohol may be sold or consumed on the property.
The suspension comes after a raid was conducted at the business back on October 19th. Out of the 90 people within The Stone Lounge, just 13 were over 21 years old. The other 77 people were below the age of 21 and were cited for possession of a fake ID or using someone else’s ID.
The State Liquor Authority also obtained affidavits from 13 minors who admitted to consuming alcohol, 7 of those people were only 18 years old. Twelve stated they were able to purchase alcohol from the bartender without being asked to provide ID.
“The SLA remains committed to working with our partners in law enforcement to keep alcohol out of the hands of underage youth,” said SLA Chairman Vincent Bradley. “SLA license holders have an obligation to obey the law. This business has failed to uphold their obligation as a licensee, and the Board is taking action to ensure public safety by cracking down on these illegal sales.”
The SLA charged The Stone Lounge on October 24th with multiple violations of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law.
Those violations include:
- Selling alcoholic beverages to a person or persons under 21.
- Failure to have trained, licensed security guards at the door in violation of their approved method of operation.
- Failure to maintain adequate and accurate records of business transacted on the licensed premises.
- Failure to supervise.
The SLA intends to prosecute the violations mentioned above, the maximum penalty would be revocation of the license.
