Citgo on Sashabaw Road Has Liquor License Revoked

Clarkston, Independence Township, MI – At the Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC) hearing yesterday in Southfield, commissioners ordered a revocation of the liquor license and permits held by Dandy Oil Inc., located at 5465 Sashabaw Rd., Clarkston, MI.
Located in the Citgo gas station at the corner of Maybee Road and Sashabaw Road in Clarkston, Dandy Oil has held a State of Michigan liquor license since October 1989. In this time, there has been a total record of 15 sale to minor violations resulting in over $10,000 in fines. A previous penalty hearing for Dandy Oil in September 2017 resulted in a 15-day suspension that was served from Friday, September 29, 2017 through Friday, October 13, 2017.
Under state law, the MLCC is required to suspend or revoke the liquor license if a licensee is found liable for three or more violations of MCL 436.1801(2) – sales of alcohol to minors and sales of alcohol to visibly intoxicated persons – on different occasions within a 24-month period. Dandy Oil’s latest violations occurred within a 10-month period:
~On both September 7, 2017 and November 21, 2017, the licensee sold or furnished alcohol to a 19-year old minor. Identification was not requested, yet the sale was approved in both instances.
~On July 13, 2018 the licensee sold or furnished alcohol to a 19-year old minor. The clerk asked for the decoy’s identification and the decoy responded that they did not have any. The clerk then asked for his birthday and the decoy gave a birthdate that made him appear to be over the age of 21. The clerk then completed the transaction.
Although the licensee demonstrated that they have point of sale technology to help prevent illegal sales and a policy requiring all purchases of alcohol to show identification, the Commission found that the licensee made the same demonstrations at the 2017 penalty hearing and the additional sales to minors still occurred.
“By issuing a fifteen-day suspension in the fall of 2017, we were giving the licensee an opportunity to realize the seriousness of their actions and to improve their policies and processes so that this didn’t happen again,” said MLCC Chairman Andy Deloney. “At yesterday’s penalty hearing, we were once again told that, this time, things will be different – and given their failure to make the changes necessary to prevent these illegal sales, the commissioners revoked the license to protect the health, welfare, and safety of the public.”
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Citgo/Dandy Oil in Clarkston Has License Suspended (Sept. 27, 2017)