ABC Indefinitely Suspends the License of Edison Market for Selling Alcohol to a Minor

Bakersfield – The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) has indefinitely suspended the license of Edison Market, located at 12301 Edison Highway in Edison, after two clerks repeatedly sold alcoholic beverages to a 19-year-old minor who was subsequently involved in a deadly car crash on November 16, 2021. Alcohol sales are prohibited until the license is transferred.

ABC opened a Target Responsibility for Alcohol Connected Emergencies (TRACE) investigation immediately after the crash to determine the source of the alcohol that was consumed by the underage driver. ABC agents determined that two Edison Market clerks sold alcohol three separate times in one night to 19-year-old Jose Catarinoreyes without checking his identification and allowed him to consume it in the parking lot for over four hours. Catarinoreyes left the business in a car and rear-ended another vehicle at a high rate of speed, resulting in the death of the other driver.

“Preventing underage drinking is a public safety priority,” said ABC Director Eric Hirata. “We want to remind licensees to check IDs carefully and help keep Californians safe.”

ABC sought disciplinary action against Edison Market’s alcoholic beverage license for furnishing alcoholic beverages to a minor causing great bodily injury or death. In response to the accusations, the licensee signed a settlement agreement. Under the agreement, the license is suspended for 30 days and indefinitely thereafter for the next 180 days to allow for transfer of the license. If any similar violations continue to occur at the premises at any time during the suspension, ABC has the authority to revoke the license.

The TRACE program is made possible by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The grant provides funding for ABC investigations of alcohol-related incidents that involve a person under 21 causing great bodily injury or death, or anyone charged with vehicular manslaughter that was under the influence of alcohol regardless of their age.

Contact

Additional information may be obtained by contacting:

Public Information Office
3927 Lennane Drive, Suite 100
Sacramento, CA 95834
Email: pio@abc.ca.gov
Phone: (916) 419-2525

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