HUMP DAY HUMOR

ABC APPROVES PERMITS FOR TWO PRIVATE CLUBS BUT NOT A THIRD FOR A SEARCY RESTAURANT - WAS RACE OF OWNER A FACTOR?

Mary Robin Casteel, the Administrative Director of Arkansas’s Alcoholic Beverage Control gave the go-ahead to two private club permit applicants but refused a third’s after receiving numerous objections.

MARY ROBIN CASTEEL - ABC ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR

During the ABC’s June 21st meeting in Little Rock, Director Casteel refused a new private club permit submitted by Alisha A. Jones of El Almacen of Searcy, 1805 East Race Avenue.

EL AMACEN (THE WAREHOUSE) - SEARCY, AR

According to a document on the DFA/ABC’s website, Mayor David Morris and White County Sheriff Ricky Shourd objected to the private club. Aldermen Dale W. Brown, Mary Ann Arnett, and J.R. Howard; as well as City Council Member Mike Chulenburg and Justice of the Peace for District 12 Joel Pritchett, also submitted objections.

Eric Webb, Searcy’s chief of police, had no objections.

The ABC also reported receiving 230 letters and 60 petition signatures opposing the permit, compared to 227 letters and 32 petition signatures in support.

During that same meeting, Casteel approved the following private club applications: 

Colton’s Steakhouse & Grill, 1553 St. Louis Street, Batesville: Private club-new. No objections.

The Trophy Room at Fiesty B’s, 160 Greene 721 Road, Paragould: Private club-new, restaurant beer & wine combination replacement. No objections received from public officials. 

"We have a lot of customers that come in and wish to have a margarita or maybe one or two beers with their meals," says El Almacen manager, Alisha Jones. 

She says over the last five years she and the restaurant owner have discussed getting a permit to serve alcohol. 

Jones says most people she talks to are in favor of it.  "They're like great! That's awesome! We don't have to drive 50 miles to go to a restaurant to have a beer with our food. "

A group that spearheaded the effort to prevent the permit drove that 50 miles to have a meal at Red Lobster in Little Rock, where alcoholic beverage are served.  

Hypocrites, as many pointed out on their Facebook post.

Harding University President, Bruce McLarty wrote a letter to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Administration saying it goes against the university's policies and "as Christians we believe that being filled with the spirit of God stands in stark contrast to drunkenness."

JESUS TURNS WATER INTO WINE - JOHN 2:1-11

Currently Elks, VFW and the Searcy Country Club all have private club permits and serve alcohol.

Perhaps that fact that the owner of  El Amacen, Alex Jasso,  is not white had more to do with this matter than the good Christian folk in Searcy or the ABC will admit.

ALEX JASSO - OWNER OF EL AMACEN

  
El Amacen general manager Alisha Jones says the restaurant will appeal the ABC Board's decision to deny the permit.

Stay tuned for updates


In the meantime, take a look at a related post from May 8th:

http://badaralcoholcontol.blogspot.com/2017/05/searcy-resturant-first-to-sekk-privat.html

HUMP DAY HUMOR

ABC ENFORCEMENT TO HIRE SIX NEW AGENTS TO HELP WITH MEDICAL MARIJUANA ENFORCEMENT - WILL TAINTED ABC ENFORCEMENT DIRECTOR BOYCE HAMLET GET ANOTHER $8K SALARY INCREASE?

IS TAINTED ABC ENFORCEMENT DIRECTOR BOYCE HAMLET THE RIGHT CHOICE TO HEAD ABC ENFORCEMENT?

DFA mouthpiece Jake Bleed told reporters that ABC Enforcement will hire six new agents to perform inspections and one lawyer to specialize in medical marijuana issues. 

JAKE BLEED - DFA COMMUNICATIONS ADMINISTRATOR

The state is also planning to procure a "seed to sale" tracking system to aid law enforcement in keeping medical marijuana from being illegally diverted.

ABC Enforcement cannot keep up with who has an active alcoholic beverage permit (see this post) and thinking that they can track medical weed is simply preposterous. 

With the additional burden and responsibility tainted ABC Enforcement Director Boyce Hamlet will have with six additional employees, we wonder if he will receive another sizeable increase in salary as he did just three months after being appointed to the position (see this post about the $8k raise he received).  A position that he holds none of the required qualifications that are required for the position.

Tainted ABC Enforcement Director's continued employment has been questioned by many individuals, including Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Mackie Pierce (see this post).

Hamlet is the subject of a pending illegal exaction lawsuit seeking his dismissal and reimbursement of all funds paid to him by DFA/ABC and it comes at a critical time for the ABC.

HUMP DAY HUMOR

 

MARY ROBIN CASTEEL - APPOINTED TO FULL TIME DIRECTOR OF ABC ADMINISTRATION

 

(News release) – Governor Asa Hutchinson has appointed Mary Robin Casteel as Director of the Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control. Casteel has served as interim director since the departure of former director, Bud Roberts, in May.  

“The ABC faces a number of challenges in the near future, and continuity of leadership will help ensure the success of the agency,” Governor Hutchinson said. “Mary Robin has proven herself a capable leader and an authority on ABC operations. We’re glad she’s agreed to stay on.”

Casteel, a licensed attorney, had previously submitted her resignation and planned to return to private practice. The former director, Bud Roberts, resigned May 26th, and Casteel agreed to serve as interim director at that time.

Casteel, 38, joined ABC in 2013. The ABC regulates the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages in Arkansas, and currently oversees more than 5,000 permit holders in the state. Under the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment, which voters adopted in November, the ABC will also regulate licensed dispensaries and cultivation facilities.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do in the coming months related to medical marijuana, as well as the always busy work of regulating alcohol,” Casteel said. “But we have a good team, and I’m glad to remain a part of it.”

Casteel resigned from the agency back on May 19th to go into a private practice of law, a a self proclaimed long-time goal.

We guess that that goal is on hold for a bit.

 

HUMP DAY HUMOR

Boyce Hamlet exploring lifestyle choices in preparation for his resignation as ABC Enforcement Director

PROBLEMS WITH ABC ENFORCEMENT - SHOOTERS SPORT BAR

In February 2016 we detailed a history of problems at Shooters Sports Bar in Texarkana and the failure of the ABC to protect citizens at that sketchy establishment.

http://badaralcoholcontol.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-abc-allows-soft-core-porn-shows-and.html

Now another individual has filed a lawsuit against Shooters, much like the one we posted about last year.

A man suing an Arkansas nightclub says the establishment did nothing to prevent another patron from attacking him and leaving him unconscious last year.

Rocky Martin Hudson of Texarkana, Texas, said in court filings that he and a friend entered Shooters Sports Bar around 10:45 p.m. July 31, 2016.

At one point, the friend “brushed up against an unknown female patron” who cussed at him and reported him to the bar’s staff, the Texarkana Gazette reported.

That friend was then asked to leave the establishment, according to the newspaper.

Hudson stated that as they later walked out, another customer — Darrell Rutledge — followed them.

Rutledge is accused of attacking Hudson as employees of Shooters stood back and did nothing. Rutledge also reportedly punched and kicked Hudson after he lay unconscious on the concrete.

The suit claims that Rutledge “had been exhibiting loud, obnoxious behavior” and was “clearly visibly intoxicated.” 

The nightclub had created an environment “conducive to violence” and had failed to provide adequate security to prevent such an attack, according to the suit.

Hudson is seeking compensation for medical expenses as well as for lost wages and scarring. 

No doubt the ABC will do nothing as they have in the past.

SOURCE REPORTS ABC ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR BUD ROBERTS WAS FIRED - ARKANSAS STATE POLICE INVESTIGATING ALLEGED KICK-BACK SCHEME INVOLVING MEDICAL MARIJUANA PERMITS

IS BUD ROBERTS THE SUBJECT OF A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION?

We broke the story of the triple resignation bombshell at the Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control agency last week and the naming of one of the staff attorneys that resigned as Interim Director of ABC Administration.

http://badaralcoholcontol.blogspot.com/2017/05/breaking-news-resignations-at-abc.html

http://badaralcoholcontol.blogspot.com/2017/05/abc-attorney-says-abc-administration.html

http://badaralcoholcontol.blogspot.com/2017/05/abc-attorney-who-resigned-named-as.html 

Yesterday afternoon, we learned from a highly credible source that the Arkansas State Police is conducting a criminal investigation into allegations that Roberts was involved in a kick-back scheme with applicants for Medical Marijuana permits and that the probe also involves the Roberts Law Firm, headed by Bud's brother Mike Roberts.

Mike Roberts was appointed by Governor Hutchinson in 2015 to a third term as a commissioner on the Economic Development Commission.  Mike Roberts currently serves as Vice Charmian.

The Roberts Law Firm at one time employed the Governor's son, Asa III, but he quickly left the firm after his third DWI arrest and a drug arrest at an Alabama music festival.

We sought comments from the Department of Finance and Administration (Parent agency for the ABC), the Arkansas State Police, the Governor's Office and Mike Roberts.  No responses have been received.

Bud Roberts has been unavailable since his termination/resignation last week.

Stay tuned for updates.

*** UPDATE - 6/2/17 9:22 AM *** 

We were able to reach Jake Bleed, DFA Director of Communications on his cellphone and asked him for comments concerning the report of the State Police Investigation of Roberts.  

Bleed's response was "we do not have a comment, ahhh, ehhh, ...I just don't have anything we can add on that".

JAKE BLEED - DFA DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

The lack of a denial of the report is telling.