Downtown bar closed for serving man involved in fatal crash
| Monday, Apr 27 2009 09:57 AM
Last Updated Monday, Apr 27 2009 04:59 PM
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Guthrie's Alley Cat.
Guthries Alley Cat is closed for 25 days because a bartender served too much alcohol to a man who later crashed and killed his friend, officials confirmed Monday.
The popular downtown bar closed on Thursday and will reopen May 18. Bar owner Ken Reed said his veteran bartender was led to believe the patron had a designated driver.
The bar, however, admitted to the Alcoholic Beverage Control that on Oct. 17 a bartender served nine drinks within a half hour to 24-year-old Jason Carranza, according to ABC District Supervisor Armando Gonzalez.
Carranza then left the bar in a GMC Sierra that crashed into a bridge and light poles on Beale Avenue just north of East Truxtun Avenue. His passenger, 27-year-old Jeremy Wade Sheffield, was partially ejected and killed, Bakersfield police reported.
Carranza suffered minor injuries.
Reed said his bartender who has 15 years experience felt horrible about what happened.
But what the bartender did that night went against his training not to serve too many drinks to a person, Reed said. The bartender still works at Guthries.
The owner said he's been at the forefront of trying to improve bar safety and has had no prior violations in his 34 years of business.
Carranza has pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence while drunk.
He will be sentenced to 10 years in prison on June 3, court clerks said.
Bartenders are banned from serving alcohol to an obviously intoxicated person. The ABC felt it was not responsible for the bartender to serve so many drinks in a short amount of time, Gonzalez said.
Guthries accepted the violation and penalty without going to hearing, he said.
The bar has retained its license to serve alcohol, but it is on a one-year probation, Gonzalez said.
Reed said the bar will improve its floor, front doors and bathrooms during the closure.
