Carmel bar faces new allegations

CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) - A Carmel bar cited earlier this month for selling alcohol to minors is now facing more criminal allegations involving its alcohol permit.

May 12, 16 minors were arrested at the Double Apple Lounge , 4004 W. 96th St., and the bar is facing numerous preliminary charges in connection with those arrests, including allowing minors to loiter, sale of alcohol to a minor and hindering enforcement.

After receiving another complaint last week, Indiana Excise Police investigated the bar’s alcoholic beverage permit application and found it had been falsified. As a result, the bar was cited Monday on preliminary charges of falsifying records, perjury and failure to maintain a high and fine reputation.

Excise said when the bar’s owners, Reba Bentz, 23, and Miguel Angel Sarria, 28, both of Indianapolis, applied for the permit in April 2010, they reported no one with an interest in the permit had been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor. In reality, police said, Sarria was convicted of operating while intoxicated, a misdemeanor, in Marion Superior Court in June 2008.

This comes only months after previous arrests of minors at the bar . At that time, in January, the bar was not cited with serving alcohol to minors, but four of the 10 minors arrested were ticketed for illegal consumption of an alcoholic beverage. The bar was cited with allowing a minor to loiter. An employee of the bar told 24-Hour News 8 the incident was a misunderstanding and that the minors were not served at the bar.

The city of Carmel has the bar in its sights, and has cited it for building code violations and has filed for a court injunction to force the bar to cease operations.

“The Double Apple Lounge has created and maintained a public nuisance by operating a bar and restaurant in ways that unreasonably interferes with the public health, welfare and safety, within the city of Carmel,” the city said in a news release last week.