Beer sold without a license

By Mike Steely

What happens when a store is caught selling beer but has no beer permit?

That situation came up in a recent Knoxville City Council Beer Board meeting when an applicant didn’t appear for a permit request and Knoxville Police Officer Lesley Pressley reported a recent illegal sale at the Ponce Enterprises LLC at 3800 Sutherland Avenue.

The February 21 incident involved the sale of beer to two underage customers.

Officer Pressley said she had no idea where the unlicensed store got the beer, but speculated it may have had some leftover from the previous business, or it was bought commercially for the purpose of resale.

City Council Attorney Rob Frost said there is little the beer board can do since no permit was active. He added that the business will have to start its application process again. He noted that the police department or the Tennessee Alcohol and Beverage Commission may take action.