The Mecklenburg County ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control) Board is investigating whether a Charlotte bar over-served a man accused of striking five construction workers with his car on Interstate 77, WCNC-TV has reported.
The television station reported that the Highway Patrol said around 1:30 a.m. on Jan.31, an impaired driver, identified as Charles Breeding, drove through a construction zone and slammed into three empty construction trucks before hitting five construction workers.
While all the workers were hospitalized, the injuries were not serious.
The report continued:
Breeding was charged with DWI. Police said he had been drinking at Snug Harbor that night before the crash.
According to search warrants, Breeding told troopers that driving that night was a “mistake,” WCNC reported. The warrants state after the crash, Breeding was “upset, asked if anyone was dead and if everyone was OK.”
Breeding told troopers he drank “three shots and two whiskey and gingers” while at Snug Harbor, according to the warrant.
Mike Crowley, with the Mecklenburg County ABC Board, said they were contacted by troopers when Breeding admitted to having been at Snug Harbor. He said that since then, the board has had several conversations with Snug Harbor and that the business was cooperating.
According to the official warrant, troopers said they “have reason to believe that Snug Harbor did willfully and knowingly sell alcoholic beverages to Breeding knowing him to be intoxicated.”
In North Carolina it is illegal for a business to over-serve intoxicated people.
Crowley stressed that the ABC Board is not accusing Snug Harbor of wrongdoing. He added that this type of investigation is normal after a serious crash involving alcohol.
As part of the investigation, officials seized surveillance video from Snug Harbor on the night of the crash, receipts, power cables and a sign-in sheet.
If any violations are found, they will be sent to the ABC Commission in Raleigh who will then decide what action to take. The investigation will also be presented to the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office, who will determine if criminal charges are warranted in the case.
Officials said the investigation is expected to take about a month to complete.