Brookhaven Alcohol Board hears police account of applicant’s felony and probation history; moves to executive session

The Brookhaven Alcohol Board on Jan. 11 heard an appeal from Stephanie Stout after city police said her criminal record and probation history made her ineligible for a permit to serve alcohol.

Joseph Pahitan, chairman of the Brookhaven Alcohol Board, opened the hearing and asked the police to present the city’s case. "On 12/15/2017 the applicant was Stephanie Stout," said Major Donald Chase, representing the police department, summarizing the department’s review of Stout’s background. Chase told the board that Stout was arrested in 1999, pleaded guilty in 2000 and was sentenced to long probation; he said she was later arrested in 2014 for a probation violation, which resulted in a 15-day confinement. Chase said the city ordinance bars issuing a license to anyone with a felony/parole event within five years or anyone currently under probation, and that the department had denied Stout’s application under that rule.

Stout responded at the hearing, disputing aspects of the 2014 matter. "The charges that I got back in 2014 were dropped," she said, describing the incident as a traffic stop in which medication in its original bottle led to a distribution charge that she said was ultimately dismissed in court. Stout told the board she has worked long-term in restaurant service, "I worked at Waffle House for 13 years," and said she had disclosed her criminal history to the Brookhaven employer that had offered her a position. She also referenced a letter of recommendation from a longtime friend, identified in the transcript as Miss Flores.

Board members pressed for clarification about the timing and status of Stout’s legal matters. Chairman Pahitan asked whether the 2014 probation violation was the reason for the denial and noted that a 2000 conviction alone, outside the five-year window, would not necessarily bar licensing; Major Chase replied that it was both the prior felony and the more recent probation status that informed the department’s decision. Stout emphasized that the 2014 charges were dropped and that, aside from the earlier conviction and the 2014 matter, she said she had not been in trouble since 2000.

After testimony and questions, the board moved to retire into an executive session to discuss the case. A motion to go into executive session was made and seconded and the chair called the vote; members responded "Aye" and the board left the public meeting for deliberations. The transcript of the public session records no final licensing vote or formal decision in open session before the board entered executive session.

The board also recorded that it will reschedule a separate hearing (the Rush Lounge denial application) because of a scheduling miscommunication, and a vacancy on the alcohol board was announced after the resignation of a member named Kaskey; the mayor is expected to consider an appointment at the Jan. 23 council meeting.

The board did not announce a final outcome on Stout’s application in open session; any decision or vote that concludes the appeal will be reflected in the board’s minutes or subsequent public record once deliberations conclude.