The new owners of a West Peoria liquor store are accused of selling alcohol to minors, months after the previous owner sold the business after a wave of similar incidents.
West Peoria Mayor James Dillon said the business, formerly called Express Liquors, was sold earlier this year. It now operates as West Peoria Liquors.
Express Liquors was the subject of a lawsuit brought by a Bartonville family, after their 15-year-old daughter died in a drunk driving crash involving alcohol allegedly purchased by minors from the store.
Dillon said the new owners met with city officials before opening for business.
“We had met with them prior to them buying the place and told them how frustrated we were with the former owner, or soon-to-be former owner,” he said. ‘We expected them to run a good business in the West Peoria community. And they assured us that we wouldn’t have a problem.”
Shortly after, Dillon said he heard stories about continued sales of alcohol to underage customers. He passed those rumors along to the Peoria County Sheriff's Office that conducted an undercover check with a minor, who allegedly purchased alcohol from the store without having to show an ID.
The clerk was given a citation to appear in court.
“It’s actually kind of a slap in the face, and so we just need to stop it as soon as we can,” said Dillon, who also serves as West Peoria's liquor commissioner. “So hopefully, we’ll have the liquor commission meet. We’re going to discuss the fine levels and things of that nature.”
Dillon thinks a harsher solution than the usual fine is appropriate, given the locations’ history and the expectations the city laid out for the new owners. He described the current amount of fines as “fairly reasonable.”
Though Dillon said the commission may consider changes to the current system, which fines for selling to underage customers at the same level as, for example, staying open too late.
“The seriousness of selling to an underage is far worse than if a business stayed open late, you know, if they got busy and they didn’t get closed, or they were closed and they were in there cleaning,” he said. “That’s one thing. But deliberately selling to minors, that’s really disturbing.”
The liquor commission meets to discuss a response on Tuesday.
Dillon said a separate "liquor hearing" with the business owners will be held at a later date, as the hearing requires both parties involved to have the opportunity for legal representation and a court reporter has to be present.
