Bartender battles to keep drunk driver off the road

July 1, 2007

By Hannah Guillaume / Frontiersman

WASILLA - A local bartender may have put her tips on the line to keep a drunk driver from getting behind the wheel.

Shawna Main, a bartender at the Mug-Shot Saloon in Wasilla, said she called police on 21-year-old Anchorage resident Stevie McDowell after she exited a cab at the saloon and hopped into her car during the early hours of June 18. McDowell's pretrial hearing for charges related to the incident is scheduled for Tuesday at the Third Judicial District Court in Palmer.

&#8220She was making a scene when I told her she needed to take the cab,” Main said. &#8220She was in drinking with a group of people.”

After using an ATM to withdraw money for the cab, Main said McDowell went out to her car and drove off, leaving the cab driver waiting behind.

&#8220She was yelling and screaming at him down the driveway,” Main said.

Although she could not remember which cab company responded to the call, Main was relieved when the cab driver handed her the license plate number so she could report the vehicle to Wasilla police.

Officer Don Ridge responded.

According to his reports, McDowell admitted to drinking alcohol and being impaired, and failed a series of field sobriety tests and submitted a breath sample. Court records show she blew a .169, more than twice the legal limit to drive. McDowell was arrested and held at the Mat-Su Pretrial facility before being bailed out.

McDowell could not be contacted prior to press time.

Bartender Main said convincing an intoxicated person not to drive can sometimes be like arguing with a door, but more often than not people she calls cabs for come in the next day to thank her.

Ted Anderson, owner of Mug-Shot Saloon, said Main did her job and he isn't concerned calling the police on an intoxicated person who insisted on driving might cost him customers. Anderson said he's more than willing to lose customers who drink and drive.

&#8220We feel we have not only a legal obligation, but a moral obligation to keep the highways safe,” Anderson said. &#8220We truly believe that it is for the overall good. What would have happened if this girl had gone out and killed herself?”

Anderson has a 22-year-old daughter and feels sorry for McDowell because &#8220she is young and probably just made a mistake.”

Daphne Slater, a manager and bartender at Klondike Mike's in Palmer, agrees with Main's decision to stop serving McDowell and call her a cab.

&#8220You're not allowed to serve an intoxicated customer. We're always concerned for customer safety,” Slater said. &#8220We do our very best to not allow them to drive.”

Slater said preventative medicine, such as assessing someone's intoxication level when he or she enters the bar or taking keys before serving a drink works.

Corky Hendrick, owner of Alaska Cab Valley, said her company receives numerous calls on Friday and Saturday nights from local bars.

&#8220They're smart when they call us to take them home. That's why we're out here in the evening,” she said. &#8220A DUI is a lot more expensive than paying cab fare.”

Hendrick added that her company will drive an intoxicated person who who can't afford the fare because they were smart enough to call her.

Contact Hannah Guillaume at 352-2284 or hannahguillaume@yahoo.com.