Salem restaurant employees accused of serving alcohol to teens before serious crash
Police say video from Happy Crab restaurant showed employees serving teens
Police say video from Happy Crab restaurant showed employees serving teens
Police say video from Happy Crab restaurant showed employees serving teens
Two employees of a Salem restaurant are facing charges after police say they served alcohol to teenagers last month before the teens were seriously injured in a crash.
Salem police said charges of prohibitive sale of alcohol have been filed against two employees of the Happy Crab restaurant. Police said employees told them they didn't ask the teens for identification because they were regulars, and workers assumed they were of legal age.
Kailey Mendes, 34, of Derry, and Jie Liam, 25, of Methuen, Massachusetts, are facing charges.
"We have video evidence that two wait staff served 19- and 18-year-old underage persons for over three hours," Salem Capt. Jason Smith said.
The New Hampshire Liquor Commission issued a number of serious violations to the Happy Crab, including aggravated prohibited sales to a minor and aggravated prohibited sales to an intoxicated individual.
Investigators said that after leaving the bar on Nov. 10, the driver crashed into a tree in Salem, seriously injuring himself and two other teenagers. Salem police said they believe that two of the teens remain hospitalized.
Officials said video from the bar also showed other infractions of the state liquor laws.
"One of the bartenders was doing shots with the driver," Smith said.
Jordan Early was one of the teenagers injured in the crash. Her mother, Amanda Weiker, said her daughter was celebrating her 18th birthday at the Happy Crab and nearly died that night.
"They served my daughter alcohol without checking an ID," Weiker said. "Who would run an establishment and serve alcohol to underage children?"
According to the New Hampshire Liquor Commission Enforcement Division, this incident is the first time alcohol violations have been reported at the Happy Crab, but now the division is investigating multiple, serious allegations.
"The division is committed to keeping our children safe and will take all necessary steps to ensure that this investigation and any penalties are administered swiftly," the commission said in a written statement.
"I'm just happy that my baby is alive and that I get to see her again," Weiker said.
>> How to help: GoFundMe launched for Jordan Early
No charges have been filed against the driver of the car, but police said more charges are possible once their investigation is finished.
"We're still waiting on toxicology reports from the state lab," Smith said. "In addition to that, there are still a few interviews that we want to complete."
The general manager of the restaurant said he's aware of the investigation but couldn't comment.