A popular bar in Salt Lake City’s Sugar House neighborhood was the target of a law enforcement operation that resulted in more than 100 criminal citations for underage drinking, according to the Utah Department of Public Safety.
SugarHouse Pub, at 1994 S. 1100 East, was investigated by the State Bureau of Investigation over several months, the department’s release said. Agents gathered evidence of underage drinking, over-service and the use of fake identifications by minors, the department said.
[Update: The Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services has temporarily suspended alcohol sales at SugarHouse Pub, pending the agency’s investigation.]
A person who answered the phone at the pub Thursday evening declined to identify himself, but said he would talk to staff and put together a statement soon.
The investigation culminated in a four-hour “targeted enforcement operation” on Nov. 22, the release said, when 186 criminal citations were issued to people under 21. The department said officers also seized 50 fake identifications and booked them into evidence, and found six 17-year-olds among the bar’s patrons.
The department formally referred the case to the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services (DABS) for administrative action against the bar, the release stated.
Michelle Schmitt, spokesperson for DABS, said the agency is reviewing the SBI’s report, which will begin the disciplinary process. The pub’s status will not be on the agenda for the DABS commission’s next meeting on Dec. 19, Schmitt said.
The Department of Public Safety’s release described the operation as “historic” and “intensive,” saying it required “precise planning, coordination and execution.”
