SALT LAKE CITY (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Park City music promoter Randy Barton proved victorious this week, as he was found not guilty on four misdemeanor counts that charged he illegally sold wine and beer at a free concert in Utah last year.
“I feel very happy,” Barton told the Salt Lake Tribune. “It was a very interesting experience. It keeps my faith in the system.”
Barton faced up to a $1,000 fine and 180 days in jail for each of the four counts, after he was arrested for allegedly selling the beer and wine at a concert on July 8, 2005, without a permit.
Barton proved that his non-profit corporation, Mountain Town Stages, gave away the beverages as a “gesture of hospitality” to “enhance the music experience,” and in turn accepted donations to the non-profit group.
“If people want to make a donation to support the music, they can,” Barton told the paper. “But we don’t say, ‘For a $3 donation you can have a beer.’”
Barton said that in the future he will secure permits regardless, but did not rule out that he would provide free alcohol. He stated that Utah liquor laws are so complex, that it’s hard to know what is and what is not legal. –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
