The Likely Saloon, a restaurant and bar along Highway 395 in Modoc County,  is not allowed to sell alcohol for  35 days following an investigation by California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Agents. 

ABC agents investigating a September 2011,  solo-vehicle crash  that injured the 18-year-old driver and claimed the life of a 19-year-old passenger determined the two minors were furnished alcohol  by a bartender at the Likely Saloon. 

ABC Agents  opened a Target Responsibility for Alcohol-Connected Emergencies (TRACE) investigation which resulted in the arrest of the bartender, Daniel Sowman, 53, and the 35-day Suspension Notice. 

The two minors, Eliseo Munguia, 18, and Eduardo Lopez, 19  crashed shortly after one in the morning.  It was determined Munguia was driving under the influence of alcohol after leaving the bar. 

“A Notice of Suspension won’t bring that young man back to his family, but it puts the owner of that  saloon,  and all business owners who sell alcohol, on notice, ” said Alan Barcelona, president of the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) which represents ABC agents and ABC licensing representatives.  “There is a price to pay for putting young people’s lives in danger.  Bartenders and business owners have a responsibility to know who they are serving and to serve responsibly.  Often our ABC agents’ TRACE investigations serve as closure for family members who have lost a loved one as a result of an alcohol-related incident.  Their work is important to victims’ families and to the state of California.”