ABC charge dropped against Spirits owner

A General District Court judge on Thursday dismissed a misdemeanor alcohol charge against the manager of Spirits, a yet-to-open restaurant at the Lord Culpeper Hotel.

Rebecca M. Tate, 41, of Culpeper, had faced a charge of allowing alcohol upon the premises of a restaurant without an ABC license.

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney David Barredo moved to dismiss the charge, and Judge Steve Helvin accepted the motion. Neither Helvin nor Barredo elaborated on the decision to drop the case.

On Nov. 3, hours before Spirits hosted Culpeper County Chairman Bill Chase’s election-night victory party, Special Agent D. Lincoln of the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control cited the restaurant at 401 S. Main St. while he was on the premises conducting a preliminary inspection.

In the course of the investigation, about $300 of beer and wine was confiscated, Chase said. The beverages have not been returned.

Spirits is set to open later this month.

Speaking to the Star-Exponent last week regarding the incident, Chase and Tate characterized the matter as a misunderstanding.

Because he rented the room for a private party, Chase said, he didn’t think there would be a problem with having beer and wine on the premises, despite Spirits not having its alcohol license.

Chase, 72, who was in the courtroom Thursday morning but did not address the judge, won election this month to the Stevensburg District seat on the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors for a record eighth consecutive four-year term.

Tate and Chase expressed satisfaction that the matter is now resolved.

“I’m just trying to open a business to help out the historic part of downtown Culpeper,” Tate said Thursday afternoon, “and I hope everyone will come out and give us a chance.”

“I think justice was done, and my only question was why it came up in the first place,” Chase said. “I want to know where my beer and wine is.” If it’s not returned soon, he quipped, that apparently means “somebody is having a party.”