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Bar License Yanked for Allegedly Serving Teen Stripper Booze

Park Place Bar and Grill will pay the price for reportedly serving a 17-year-old drinks to "loosen her up" for stripping.

 

A 17-year-old reportedly “hired to strip and socialize” with bar patrons touched off an investigation that ended with Park Place Bar and Grill’s license getting suspended for 50 days, the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control announced Thursday.

The control board implicated three adults, including a West Deptford man, in plying the teen with alcohol to “loosen her up,” investigators said.

The investigation began in February 2011 when alcoholic control board officials visited the National Park bar. There, investigators reportedly found bartender Melissa Armstrong, of Marlton, serving the teenager drinks, including Long Island ice teas and Bay Breeze cocktails.

Armstrong told investigators her bosses, Donald Rossiter Sr., of National Park, and Donald Rossiter Jr., of West Deptford, directed her to serve the teenager as much alcohol as the girl wanted. The teenager was paid for her stripping and socializing with alcohol.

“This was an egregious abuse of the privilege to sell alcohol. The potential for illegal activity resulting from serving alcoholic beverages to a 17-year-old girl may have been averted only by the presence of ABC personnel,” said Michael Halfacre, Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control director. “This case was particularly troubling because the licensee used alcohol to exploit a minor for financial gain.”

The bar’s license suspension began on Dec. 18 and will last for 50 days. The bar’s phone number was disconnected Thursday morning and the Rossiters could not be reached for comment.

Rossiter Jr. is a part owner of the bar and employs his father in a management capacity, according to the control board. Rossiter Sr., Rossiter Jr. and Armstrong were all arrested and charged with serving alcohol to an underage person.

The 17-year-old was also charged with drinking alcohol underage and was released into her father’s custody.

Park Place Bar and Grill’s legal troubles didn’t end there. Investigators arrested and charged two other underage drinkers—Richard Jackson Jr., of Westville, and Dustin Patterson, of National Park—at the bar that night. Plus, Park Place Bar and Grill employees admitted to purchasing alcohol from a nearby liquor store to sell at the bar in violation of state alcohol laws.

Related Topics: Donald Rossiter Jr., Donald Rossiter Sr., Melissa Armstrong, New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Park Place Bar and Grill, and Underage Drinking

bob corsey

1:02 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012

This family needs to pack up and leave....to another State, Country, Universe, AMEN

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dottie sutter

9:51 am on Friday, December 21, 2012

That place needs to be shut down permanately! What a disgrace!

Reply

Kristi Simpkins

2:45 pm on Saturday, December 22, 2012

This bar needs to be shut down ASAP! If ppl have a business such as this, than they need to learn to obey the laws & run that business correctly & w/ decency. If not bye bye. See ya later. That suspension is a joke! Are you serious? What do you think happens when the supension is over? The owners will go right to doing what they did before. They'll never learn.
If they're punished w/ a huge fine or worse however, then maybe they'll think twice about how they do run this business. Then again if ppl are really smart this bar in 50 days won't be a business any longer.

Reply

R U KIDDING ME

10:27 pm on Saturday, December 22, 2012

the reporter neglected to report where the bar is located. can someone tell me?

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Kenny J.

9:39 am on Sunday, December 23, 2012

There's a Google map related to the place in the upper right of this page. There's a map on almost every Patch article. Pay attention!

Westfield Resident

10:04 am on Sunday, December 23, 2012

What I'm confused about is this bar does not sound like it is a strip club so why was this girl being exploited to strip? Are there going to be any charges for exploiting a minor?

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Bob

8:19 am on Monday, December 24, 2012

No strip club around here. Beat it perv!

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Tracy

8:37 am on Monday, December 24, 2012

The local churches should picket the place when the suspension is over. Put them out of business.

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R U KIDDING ME

2:15 pm on Monday, December 24, 2012

KENNY J. Thanks for the heads up on the google map. I thought the map was just another one of the many advertisements. How come the location arrow points to the wrong side of Hessian Ave? Is this where the Striper lives? Or are the Patch editors not paying attention?

Reply

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