City seeks rejection of liquor license

In the last four years, Space Age Fuel in Sisters has been involved in two incidents involving furnishing alcohol to minors.

In a 2000 episode, owner Yacoub Bedaywi reportedly sold alcohol to an Oregon Liquor Control Commission decoy. In 2004, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission hit Space Age Fuel with a $3,795 civil penalty or 23-day license suspension on charges that an employee — Bedaywi’s son — failed to verify the age of a 17-year-old juvenile before selling him alcohol.

The juvenile, Stephen Withrow, allegedly became intoxicated and was arrested for homicide in connection with the beating death of a man in Drake Park in Bend on April 16, 2004. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the case last month.

At the city council meeting on Thursday, April 28, the council voted to deny Bedaywi a liquor license as part of a transfer of ownership from Bedaywi’s brother-in-law to Bedaywi himself.

City Manager Eileen Stein said that state law requires that local jurisdictions provide recommendations on renewal or change of ownership for liquor licenses.

Council member Sharleen Weed asked what effect their recommendation would have on the outcome of Bedaywi obtaining a liquor license renewal. Mayor David Elliott responded, “Absolutely nothing.”

Stein referenced two other observed two other 2004 violations of furnishing alcohol to minors at other establishments.

Weed said that without giving the other establishments similar treatment that she would consider a motion to deny unfair.

“We’re going to have the rest of these come forward in the future and I will recommend that we deny on those too. We need to send a message to the public that this is zero-tolerance,” said Elliott.

Two other liquor license applications were approved: one for the new owner of the Sisters Market and the other for The Hitchin’ Post General Store adjacent to Sisters Oil.