Bethel residents charged with bootlegging were due to be arraigned in court on Wednesday.
Four of the defendants now have $500 warrants out on them for not showing up: Brandi Dull, Jonathan Cha, Jae Chang Lee, and Jin Yong Lee. The allegations occurred last spring and some of the defendants may have moved. When law enforcement officers tried to deliver the court summons to Jonathan Cha, another resident said that he had moved to Los Angeles and had left no forwarding address. Officers were told Jae Chang Lee had moved to Korea.
Most of the defendants did appear or were represented by an attorney. All pled not guilty and a date of November 22 was set for their next court appearance. They are released without bail on conditions that include not buying, possessing, or consuming alcohol, or being in an establishment that primarily sells alcohol.
Four of the remaining defendants did not get served and new summonses will be issued by the court.
Twenty-three defendants are charged with selling alcohol without a license, a class A misdemeanor. The maximum penalty is one year in jail and a $25,000 fine. Quyana Cab is also being charged as a company. If convicted, its maximum penalty would be a $500,000 fine.
