Alcohol License at Peter's Market Suspended for 30 Days

Peter's Market, a neighborhood market on Purchase Street, will have its alcohol license suspended for 30 days beginning on Saturday.

Milford Selectmen voted 2-1 to impose the license suspension following a hearing Monday in which members cited a history of alcohol license violations at the family-owned store. In a recent incident, a 20-year-old police operative entered the store on April 13 and purchased a six-pack of beer without being asked for identification.

According to police, on April 21, an officer arrested a man who was driving while intoxicated, who had just come from the market. Selectmen heard from a woman who called 911 that day to report the impaired driver, who said the passenger in the vehicle had purchased the alcohol at the market, and that the driver stopped by police had not entered the store.

According to town records, Peter's Market had previously had a 24-hour license suspension in March 2010, and a 12-day license suspension in November 2010. The first followed a police investigation into reports of underage sales at the business, and was for selling alcohol to an underage police operative. The second, longer suspension was for selling alcohol to an intoxicated man. The man had been refused service down the street, at Purchase Street Market, and had driven to Peter's Market where he bought two bottles of wine, despite being visibly unsteady on his feet, police reported. In that incident, when police arrived, the customer had urinated and defecated on himself, a police summary said.

Selectmen Dino DeBartolomeis and Bill Buckley voted in favor of the 30-day suspension. Selectman Brian Murray, who said he would suggest a 15-day suspension, voted against.

DeBartolomeis was most outspoken. He said if any more incidents occur, he would advocate revoking the alcohol license. "I dont' know if you get it," he said to the owner. "To me, you don't have any control of the establishment."

Gurmit Pabla, the manager and owner of the store, appeared before selectmen Monday, but did not speak. He and his family were represented by attorney Karen Simão, of Boston-based McDermott, Quilty & Miller.

Following the meeting, Simão said an appeal is possible, but she would have to speak to her clients first.

She argued Monday that the person who had sold the beer to the underage operative had been fired, and that the store has the state alcohol law requirements posted in numerous locations.

"This is a family run business and it is a well-run business," she said.