LCE tickets 32 underage drinkers

Pennsylvania Liquor Control Enforcement officers issued a total of 32 citations to underage drinkers during raids of area bars early Wednesday morning, according to Sergeant John Lyle, district office commander of the LCE for Philadelphia. At the Palladium Restaurant and Bar, located at 36th Street and Locust Walk, 14 minors were issued citations for drinking, Lyle said yesterday. Fourteen citations were also issued by LCE officers at the Blarney Stone, at 39th and Sansom streets. At Cavanaugh's Restaurant, located at 39th and Sansom streets, two citations were issued. And one underage drinking citation was issued at Walsh's Tavern, at 43rd and Walnut streets, in addition to one citation for possessing false identification. Those who were issued citations may receive a fine of up to $300, based on a sliding scale applied by the Pennsylvania court system, Lyle said, adding that he has no way of knowing how much each person will eventually be fined. The raided establishments may also be fined, Lyle said. He said the process by which bars are charged is handled by the Office of the Administrative Law Judge of the Liquor Control Board. But Lyle said that to the best of his knowledge, the LCB charges establishments without regard to the number of citations issued during a raid. The LCB's Office of the Administrative Law Judge could not be reached for comment last night. Owners of the bars raided Wednesday morning said they did not know what the consequences of the LCE operation would be. "They don't really tell you what's going to happen," Cavanaugh's owner Bill Pawliczeck said. "You have to wait for a letter in the mail." Pawliczeck added that he thought no Cavanaugh's patrons were underage at the time the LCE arrived. "I know [the LCE] checked the cards of the people here, but I don't know how many were underage -- if any," he said. "To the best of our knowledge, there wasn't anyone here who wasn't 21." Palladium co-owner Roger Harman said he also did not know if any charges would be levied against his establishment. But he said the LCE officers had indicated to the Palladium's night manager Wednesday morning that the bar was not to blame for the citations. "[The night manager] spoke to the LCE and they said their main concern was not so much us as it was the IDs that students were carrying," Harman said. "They verified that we were very thorough in checking IDs and that we had a blacklight and that we keep a file of problem IDs." Wednesday morning's raids were the second major operation the LCE has conducted on and around campus since the year began. On January 28, LCE officers raided Murphy's Tavern at 43rd and Spruce streets, issuing citations to 63 underage drinkers. The LCB brought charges against Murphy's for serving alcohol to minors. The final outcome of the case has yet to be determined.

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