A package store owner said another store in Braselton was illegally open and selling alcohol on Thanksgiving, according to an incident report.
An owner of Cork and Keg on Ga. Hwy. 53, told a Braselton officer on Thursday that another store — Sonny’s Package on Ga. Hwy. 211 — was breaking the law for selling alcohol on Thanksgiving, according to police.
The officer then contacted other town officials, who weren’t certain if Sonny’s Package was violating any ordinances. The officer said he did find in the state law that it’s illegal to sell alcohol by the package on Christmas and Sundays.
Braselton’s town manager said she would check if the store was violating the town’s ordinances the following Monday, since town hall was closed for Thanksgiving, according to an incident report.
Meanwhile, the officer spoke to two employees at Sonny’s Package, where the officer confirmed that the store was selling alcohol. Braselton’s police chief told the officer to report the incident and get a case number for an information report.
An agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) then called the Braselton officer and asked if he checked out the complaint. The agent said the Cork and Keg owner called him about the incident, according to police.
The ATF agent told the Braselton officer that he cited Sonny’s Package and advised the officer how he could get the latest rules about selling alcohol.
The agent also said there was nothing that Braselton police could have done, since the store violated a state law and only he could cite Sonny’s Package, according to an incident report.
OTHER INCIDENTS
Other incidents that the Braselton Police Department responded to included the following:
•agency assist at a Lakeshore Circle address, where a woman asked that the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office respond to a domestic dispute. A Braselton officer stayed on the scene to help a deputy, who took over the incident. A man involved in the incident had a large knife in his pocket and the deputy also found a small amount of marijuana, according to the officer. When the deputy asked the man who the marijuana belonged to, the man said it was his, but he forgot it was in his pocket.
A small white pill was also found in the man’s rear pocket. The deputy arrested the man for the possession of the drugs, according to an incident report.
•damage to property on Grand Hickory Drive, where a man said he was turning his vehicle when a tire came off his trailer and rolled across the street. The tire hit a woman’s truck, which was parked at Joe’s New York Pizza. An officer said all of the bolts were broken from the tire.
•threats at a Lakeshore Circle address, where a woman said her ex-boyfriend moved out of the residence a few days ago, but was now sending her harassing emails. An officer read one of the ex-boyfriend’s emails, which said he had sex in the house three times and was telling her how stupid she was.
•theft by taking at a Ga. Hwy. 211 address, where a woman said her son had to park his van in a parking lot after the vehicle was having problems.
The following morning, the van was missing. The woman said she called the managers of the property and several towing companies, but they said they didn’t tow the van. The vehicle, a 2000 Dodge Caravan, was valued at $9,000.
The sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited on Sundays. By Georgia law, the sale of alcoholic beverages may be prohibited by local ordinance on Christmas Day and election days see OCGA 3-3-20 for further.
Thanksgiving Day is not mentioned in the State law and it does not appear that the city has the lawful authority to enact an ordinance prohibiting its sale on Thanksgiving Day. It sounds to me as if the Braselton Police Officer got the wool pulled over his eyes by a buddy of the guy at Sonny's Package; pretending to be an ATF agent...