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Owner's late-night mistake costs Hyde Square pub its license for two days

The Boston Licensing Board yesterday ordered a two-day suspension for the Haven, 2 Perkins St., because of an incident last month in which a police sergeant on routine patrol found the place open at 3:10 a.m. with the owner and a friend with a glass of beer inside.

At a hearing earlier this week, Sgt. Martin Kraft said he was driving through Hyde Square early on June 18, when he found a car poorly parked and turned the wrong way in front of the Haven. He said he was concerned the place was being burglarized, so he stopped to take a look. Instead of a burglar, he said, he spotted somebody "drinking from a glass." On entering the pub, he said, he found owner Jason Waddleton, who quickly moved to hide the glass, which Kraft said contained beer. He added he could not get a straight answer from Waddleton on whether the other man was an employee or not.

Waddleton and his attorney, Dennis Quilty, both apologized to the board and to Kraft. "I'm absolutely embarrassed to be here under these circumstances," Waddleton said. "It was a horrible mistake he made, and he apologizes" to both the board and the sergeant, Quilty said.

Waddleton said he stopped by the Haven on his way home just to pick up the night's receipts. He said he parked funny because the driver's side door on his car was busted and "I didn't expect to be long."

He acknowledged popping open a beer for his friend, but denied either had actually consumed any when Kraft arrived. Waddleton apologized for seeming uncooperative, but said "my mind was racing" and he was trying to protect his friend, who he said seemed to want to be more aggressive with the cop than he should have been.

Quilty pleaded for leniency, arguing that in addition to expressing his remorse, Waddleton has had a good record since he opened the Haven in 2010.

The board said serving a beer after hours and being uncooperative with the police warranted the two-day suspension. Waddleton can appeal the penalty to the state Alcoholic Beverages Commission or chose the two days on which to close.

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Comments

Is a misallocation of various municipal resources. If a bar owner has to face music over having a drunken nightcap with a bud--give me a break. Was there seriously nothing else going on in HYDE SQUARE for this officer to be worried about. Doubtful.

Sorry for Jason, Boston's best host.

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What are you, their publicist?

ಠ_ಠ

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This officer was investigating a possible break-in. He could have been shot and killed doing so. Think about that, the next time you complain about your job.

The manager was lucky he got off so lightly.

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Still, the crowd there does spill out onto the sidewalk very regularly until very late ... seems like something along these lines was coming for a while.

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No escape from government intervention!

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I'm no libertarian, but a business owner ought to be able to be inside his own business at any hour he pleases, and if that business happens to be a bar, he should be allowed to have a beer. Restaurant industry folks work hard and there's no place for them to enjoy a drink after a stressful night of being surrounded by drunk people - as long as there's no noise complaints, let a manager or bartender throw one back while cleaning up.

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he gave the beer away, which is a violation of happy hour laws. Lucky he didn't get hit harder!

(This is why we can't have nice things)

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They didn't get suspended for serving the guy at 3 (which I endorse legalizing), they got suspended because the stupid (expletive) parked the wrong way in front of the place. You deserve what you get for drawing attention to yourself.

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How dare you serve yourself and your friend a beer in your own bar after yove closed it! Thank god the police put a stop to this.

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