Underage Drinking Bust Leads to Bar Closure

Oak Lawn police shut down a bar with an expired state liquor license after arresting four minors for underage drinking, reports said.

Acting on a tip that underage drinking was reportedly taking place at a local tavern, detectives visited George’s Lounge at 5407 W. 95th St., around 10:48 p.m. Nov. 8.

Police began checking patrons’ IDs, when they encountered a 20-year-old man who appeared intoxicated and had difficulty forming sentences, reports said.

The 20-year-old, identified as Matthew Shelly, of Bridgeview, was taken into custody and charged with illegal consumption of alcohol by a minor.

Next, detectives checked the IDs of a man and woman, identified as Emad Zabadneh, 19, of Palos Hills, and Briana Waddell, 18, of Nottingham Park. Police said both admitted they had been drinking and were charged with illegal consumption of alcohol by a minor.

The fourth minor arrested, Christina Pehr, 18, of Lemont, was found to have a fake ID and also gave police a fake name, reports said.

All four were taken to the Oak Lawn police station. Police said that Zabadneh stated, unsolicited, that the bartender never asked to see their IDs, nor did the bouncers.

The four minors were also administered breath tests. Shelly and Pehr were both over the legal .08 limit, police said. All of them were charged with underage drinking.

Pehr also was charged with obstruction and possession of a fraudulent ID. They are due in court on Dec. 20.

Detectives spoke to the owner of George’s Lounge, John Cerniuk. According to the report, Cerniuk was present during the ID check and denied that the four underage adults had been drinking in his bar.

While checking the tavern’s liquor licenses, police found that the displayed state liquor license expired on Jan. 31, 2013.

The tavern’s bartender told police that she brings the bar’s mail home, and the new state license may have been at her residence, police said.

Police asked her to fax them the state liquor license the next day. At the end of the business day on Nov. 9, police still hadn’t received a fax from the owner.

According to the report, the bartender advised police that that business’s accountant may have the state liquor license and other paperwork.

Police said she called the owner, who explained that he could not reach the accountant, reports said.

Asked if he had a check receipt for the state liquor license, Cerniuk said he probably couldn’t produce the canceled check.

Police said that according to the Illinois Liquor Control Commission, neither Cerniuk nor George’s Lounge/Cerjoy Ltd. are on record as having a state liquor license.

Cerniuk further stated that he is “very unorganized” and that his bartender handles the bar paperwork, reports said.

Police confiscated both licenses and informed Cerniuk that he could not reopen the tavern until he produced a valid state liquor license.

The owner of George’s Lounge ran into the same trouble a year ago. In March 2012, the tavern was closed when its state liquor license was found to be expired, police said.