Two DWI arrests part of liquor board's Gary's probe

ROCHESTER - Rochester Police have sent the state Liquor Commission information on two DWI arrests they say "could have a connection" to activity at Gary's Sports Bar the night Bang N Jane drummer Jim Unfonak was fatally injured during an altercation in the tavern's parking lot.

"We have sent them other police matters that could have a connection to the establishment in relation to activity from that evening," Rochester Police Capt. Gary Boudreau said late last week.

Boudreau cautioned that while both DWI arrests might have a connection with activity at Gary's that fateful night, they do not have any direct bearing on the alleged assault that resulted in Unfonak's death.

Unfonak died Feb. 1 as a result of injuries sustained after being allegedly punched in the head by Eric Langlais, 41, of Barnstead, with whom Unfonak had had words inside the bar earlier in the evening.

According to a police affidavit, Langlais and two female friends were tossed out of the bar by bouncers, but waited outside to get a "piece" of Unfonak who they say slighted them earlier in the night.

The city DWI arrests occurred during traffic stops on North Main Street in the area of Union Street around 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 30 and about an hour later on Milton Road near Metrocast.

Boudreau said the driver of the car in the North Main Street stop allegedly told the officer she had been drinking at a local bar, however, Boudreau would not reveal what bar she named.

Rochester Police routinely forward DWI cases to the Liquor Commission for their investigation, especially if a bar is named where the driver may have been overserved, Boudreau said, however these two cases were forwarded as they could particularly pertain to activity at Gary's that Saturday night.

The chief of the Division of Enforcement of the state Liquor Commission confirmed to The Lebanon Voice last week that an investigation into potential infractions at Gary's Sports Bar the night of Jan. 30 and early morning hours of Jan. 31 had begun.

Enforcement Chief James Wilson said his department will be looking at several factors with regard to possible fines and other penalties, including "responsible service of alcohol" and "operating a place in an orderly fashion," violations the longtime sports bar has been tagged with in the past.