Agents from the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control raided Friar Tuck’s bar Saturday night, resulting in 61 underage drinking citations and the arrest of three people.

According to eyewitnesses, around 1 a.m. the music stopped and the lights turned on. An undercover ATC agent announced that a bust was in progress, and an employee of Tuck’s told patrons that they should cooperate fully with the officers.

The agents told the group that everyone must show their IDs when asked. Those who were 21 and older were allowed to leave the bar.

Steve Spalitta, director of enforcement at the Louisiana State Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control said that the inspection came about after a complaint filed with the NOPD and undercover ATC officer observations earlier in the week.

Spalitta said that out of 214 patrons, 170 were younger than 21.

“According to our CPA audit, if all the drink sales were to those of drinking age, each person would have had 15 drinks,” Spalitta said. “Roughly 80 percent of those present were not of age to drink.”

Six undercover ATC agents were inside the bar prior to the raid.

“Before the uniformed officers arrived, I only had six agents inside, and of course six people can only do so much,” Spalitta said. “My agents issued about 10 citations apiece, which to me is phenomenal. If we’d had more people there would have been more citations.”

According to Allie Weed, a business management freshman who received a citation, almost all of the females had drinks because it was ladies’ night.

“Most of the girls had cups in their hands. Even if the cup was empty, they got busted,” Weed said. “The cop didn’t ask what the drink was, he just asked for my license.”

She also that several people were able to avoid citations by dropping their drinks as soon as the lights came on.

General studies freshman Monika Reid was also cited. Although she did not have a drink in her hand, an officer cited her anyway, saying that he had seen her drinking.

Jason Blitch, the owner of Tuck’s, said that he takes every precaution against underage drinking, and noted that the bar was cited for having underage drinking on the premises and not for serving underage.

“If my bartenders were serving underage kids, my doors would be closed,” Blitch said. “Louisiana law states that 18-year-olds can be in a bar. There’s only so much you can do, short of hiring 154 security guards to watch everyone drink their drinks, to make sure a 21-year-old isn’t buying drinks then giving it to someone else.”

Blitch also said that the law punishes bars.

“They should make up their mind. If the drinking age is 18, then it’s 18. If it’s 21, it’s 21. They create a loophole, then punish us.”

He compared underage drinking to shoulder-tapping at convenience stores, and said that none of his bartenders had broken the law.

“If an old guy comes into a gas station and buys cigarettes, then gives them to a kid, that’s not the fault of the clerk,” Blitch said. “He’s not a mind reader – he doesn’t know where it’s going.”

Before the raid there had been tension between a neighborhood resident Brian Denzer and the bar. Denzer said that drunk students regularly stole campaign signs off his lawn, prompting him to circulate a flyer stating that he was “disturbed by the large numbers of noisy, drunk college students walking down Freret Street…I suspect that the vast number of these students are not of age to drink alcohol in Louisiana. Given the disturbances created in my own neighborhood, I believe that strict enforcement of this law is merited at Friar Tuck’s.”

Denzer said that he did not call ATC, although it would not surprise him if another resident had.

“It’s an inappropriate affair for an Uptown neighborhood. When you walk out of the bar into someone’s neighborhood, you need to respect the neighbors,” Denzer said.

But Blitch says he makes every attempt to be a good neighbor.

“This is my neighborhood, I grew up here. During the hurricane I set up the bar as a shelter and had about 15 people,” Blitch said. “I’ve offered to start a neighborhood watch or hire a private patrol. I can’t survive without my neighbors. I talked to Mr. Denzer on Sunday because I know we can figure something out.”

Kelly Brown can be reached at [email protected].