Thirty underage drinkers caught at Murph's by LCB

Gomrd yp nst ,su ypys; $30,000 or more Tammy Polonsky What started out as a night of weekend partying at Murphy's Tavern ended in citations for 30 underage drinkers and a $30,000 fine for the owners of the bar early Saturday morning. Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board officers raided Murph's, a bar at 43rd and Spruce Streets, known on campus as a haven for underage drinkers. Approximately 10 officers, wearing jackets with LCB badges on the sleeves, stormed into the bar at about 1 a.m., according to several students who were at the bar during the raid. The officers turned the lights on and the music off, and announced that undercover officers had been in the bar for an hour, watching people drink. Anyone who was at least 21 years old was told to show proof of age and leave the bar immediately. Approximately five students had proper identification. All remaining patrons were ordered to stay where they were and wait for further instructions. After collecting IDs from the remaining students, the officers let anyone who was 20 years old leave without being charged, according to a student who requested anonymity. Another student, who also asked not to be named, said he showed a bouncer his PENNcard to get into the bar the night of the raid. After giving an LCB officer his driver's license -- which states he is 19 years old -- he told the officer that he had not consumed any alcohol. The officer let the student leave without giving him a breathalizer test. Another student said one officer urged her to sign a citation. "He asked me what I was drinking and I told him I wasn't," she said. "He threatened to give me a breathalizer test. I admitted to drinking to avoid taking a test." The student signed a citation, stating that she is underage and that the officers saw her "transporting, consuming, possessing or purchasing alcohol." Anyone who signed a citation can go to court and plead innocent or guilty, according to the student who signed. If found guilty, the student would have to pay a fine. Students also have the option of taking an alcohol awareness class -- which costs $82.50. If students opt to take the course, then the incident will not appear on their records. Several students requesting anonymity told the Daily Pennsylvanian that 30 people received citations. Some students noted that there were more than 30 underage drinkers in the bar, although they could not give an exact number. Since Murph's received its liquor license in 1960, the LCB has issued the bar nine citations, all for serving alcohol to minors. Murph's license was suspended for a week on August 22 last year, but it was never revoked. Murph's license will be up for renewal at the end of the year. According to Bettina Bunting, an enforcement officer in the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement of the Pennsylvania State Police, Murph's can keep its license until the BLCE board makes its decision, which it will issue by Oct. 31 this year. Neither Murphy's Tavern owner Joe Murphy nor the LCB officers were available for comment last night.

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