85 Sacred Heart Students Cited for Underage Drinking, Bar Owner Cited

Hours after police arrested a man suspected of sexually assaulting a Sacred Heart University student he met at a bar, police raided the bar, charged 85 Sacred Heart students for underage drinking and cited the bar owner for liquor violations, police said.

Police raided Golden Star Café, at 3915 Main St. in Bridgeport, on Tuesday night, hours after arresting Alfonso Reid, 39, of Bridgeport.

He is accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old Sacred Heart student he met the bar March 30 after he offered her a ride home, but instead took her to his house.

Officers raided the bar because they suspected it was serving people who are underage.

Police said they charged 100 people with underage drinking, including 85 Sacred Heart University students.

The bar owner is being cited for several liquor violations, police said, and has been referred to the liquor commission for violations of state liquor law.

“To find that nearly the entire bar was underage, that blew our minds, we were really surprised by that,” said Bridgeport Police Captain Brian Fitzgerald.

Bridgeport Police and the State Liquor Commission were already planning an unannounced visit to this bar in a few weeks because of suspected underage drinking, Fitzgerald said.

“But in light of everything that happened,” Fitzgerald said, “We saw the urgency to move that operation up to last night.”

Each of the cited students will have to pay a $250 fine.

“We did this not to hurt the future of any Sacred Heart students,” Fitzgerald said. “We all make mistakes when we are kids, but at the same time we’re trying to protect them.”

NBC Connecticut went to the bar and one person who identified himself as a part owner of the bar did not want to comment.

Justin Schecker contributed to this report

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