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Sandy man charged for allegedly running bar out of garage

Posted at 1:29 PM, Aug 06, 2013
and last updated 2013-08-06 16:19:36-04

SANDY, Utah -- A man was charged with a misdemeanor after he was allegedly found selling alcohol out of his home in Sandy.

Investigators said they had heard for years that a homeowner was operating the "Dog Bar" out of his garage, and they finally got the proof they needed during an undercover operation in June.

According to detectives, Jared Williams was not only serving drinks to a group of people at his home, but he was charging them. He reportedly told detectives he opened up the bar in 2006 with his father.

Detectives came back to the home with a search warrant and seized dozens of bottles of beer, hard liquor and cash.

FOX 13 knocked on Williams door in an attempt to get his side of the story. Williams brother answered, shooting down claims that they're running a bar. He said they were just trying to get friends together to hang out and have some drinks.

Sandy Police said Williams does not have a license to operate this type of business in a neighborhood that isn't zoned for it.

"A neighborhood is not a place for a bar," Sgt. Jon Arnold said. "There are locations that have been zoned for those types of businesses where people can do that, and do so properly, legally and appropriately. This situation was not that, and that's why there was action taken by the Sandy City Police Department."

Williams has pleaded not guilty for a misdemeanor charge of operating a business without a license. He could face up to six months in jail with a maximum fine of $1000.