Authorities arrested a Sacramento bartender and two area businesses are facing penalties after being accused of supplying alcohol to a 19-year-old woman who was involved in a deadly DUI crash in May, KTLA sister station KTXL reported Saturday.
Officers on Friday arrested bartender Kelly Woodward outside The Cinch, a dive bar located on Florin Road, according to the California Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control.
“Anytime you have alcohol get into the hands of minors, nothing good comes of it,” said department spokesman John Carr. “Unfortunately, some bad decisions were made here and alcohol was served to this young woman.”
Carr said alcohol was served to 19-year-old Ainise Taimani in May, just a few hours before she crashed on Highway 12 in San Joaquin County, killing her cousin and injuring one other passenger who were both thrown from the car on impact.
“It’s a horrible tragedy,” Carr said. “You have a young woman who is looking at some very serious charges and has to deal with the emotional pain of losing her cousin, and you have a young man who lost his life.”
CHP officers arrested Taimani for possible DUI manslaughter and other charges following the wreck. That triggered an investigation into where she obtained the alcohol.
Carr told KTXL that before Taimani went to the bar, she bought alcohol at the Hollywood Market & Liquor store on Stockton Boulevard.
“She then consumed some of that alcohol with her cousin nearby and then they went to The Cinch bar later and were served alcohol there,” Carr said.
These types of investigations are important for the public’s health and safety, the spokesman said.
“It sends a message to the public this is illegal and it’s dangerous and then sometimes when you sell alcohol to someone who’s under the age of 21, there can be deadly consequences,” Carr said.
Officials are currently seeking disciplinary actions against both the bar and the store for selling alcohol to a minor. The penalties have not been determined yet but range from suspending to revoking the alcohol license of each business.
