State agents charge three with illegal alcohol sales

CAMPBELL

An anonymous complaint involving the Campbell Party Shop’s operating without a liquor permit culminated in three men being charged with illegal sales-related offenses.

Agents with the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Ohio Investigative Unit, who began investigating the complaint March 20, filed the charges Tuesday in Campbell Municipal Court.

James M. Jablonski, 58, of Poland, is charged with three counts of keeper of a place with illegal sales of alcohol, while Jordan A. Rogers, 31, of Youngstown, and John D. Tarr, 64, of Campbell, are each charged with one count of illegal sale of beer.

George Pitre, the agent in charge, said the state investigative unit looks into all complaints it receives. In this particular instance, agents verified that Smolenskis Xenikis, also known as the Campbell Party Shop, 223 12th St., had no valid liquor license.

They then sought a search warrant, executing it on March 28. During the search warrant, agents seized $1,692 and 4,465 bottles of beer and liquor.

“In Ohio, you have to have a valid liquor license to sell alcohol,” Pitre said. “This was not the case here.”

The Campbell Party Shop declined to comment.

Pitre added that he couldn’t say for sure when the Campbell Party Shop’s privileges to sell alcohol ceased, and that he wasn’t aware of any past illegal activities involving the business.

Jablonski, Rogers and Tarr are set to appear in Campbell Municipal Court at 9 a.m. Friday.

The first-degree misdemeanor that Rogers and Tarr, both employees of the Campbell Party Shop, are charged with carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, if the defendant is found guilty and convicted.

The unclassified misdemeanor Jablonski, the business’ owner, is charged with is “a strange animal,” Pitre said, adding that the fine varies depending on the number of offenses. If the defendant is found guilty and convicted, and it is his first offense of this nature, the misdemeanor carries a fine of not less than $100 and no more than $500.

Pitre noted that liquor permit holders in Ohio need to ensure they have a valid license in order to sell alcoholic beverages in the state.

“Obviously it’s a must,” he said. “We will investigate.”