Underage police agent sold beer at three places in Geneva

Two clerks and a bartender have been charged with selling beer to a minor June 22 in Geneva.

Police sent underage civilian agents to all liquor license-holding places during last week’s Swedish Days festival to test whether they obeyed the law.

A 19-year-old woman was able to buy beer at Sav-Way Liquors, 515 W. State St.; the Little Owl, 101 W. State; and Cabooses Bar and Grill, 300 Crescent Place, between 6:21 and 7:45 p.m. June 22. In all three cases, according to police, the sales clerks and the bartender asked her for identification, and she presented her driver’s license, which bears the warning “under 21 until 6/11/14.”

Issued tickets were Mark H. Bogash, 57, of the 100 block of North Lincoln Avenue, Geneva; Stephanie A. Wisner, 26, of the 49W0-99 block of Route 38, Maple Park; and Lynn M. Chaney, 51, of the 200 block of North Sixth Street, Geneva.

They were fined $250 apiece.

Disciplinary action could also be taken against the establishments. Mayor Kevin Burns, the city’s liquor commissioner, said Thursday he hadn’t seen the police department’s final report on the matter; he will review it before deciding whether to levy fines or suspend or revoke licenses. If license-holders are so disciplined, they have a right to dispute it, at an adjudication hearing.

“Every violation is taken seriously,” Burns said.

Burns said all license-holders are warned before the festival that police will be doing the check then, as well as other times throughout the year.

Cabooses was fined $1,000 in 2008 for a similar offense. The owners pleaded for leniency, saying the bartender had trouble reading the license. After the incident, they said, they bought a light and magnifier for the bar, and the bartender bought eyeglasses.

The bar is under different ownership.