The Alcoholic Beverage Commission has opened an investigation into the death of a Columbus man Monday at Ruben”s Fish House.
Kathy Waterbury, communication director for the State Tax Commission, the parent agency for the ABC, said agents are in Columbus investigating the death of John Caldwell. Caldwell died of acute alcohol intoxication, according to Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant, after engaging in a drinking contest late Sunday evening in the Ruben”s bar.
State law prohibits serving alcohol to a visibly inebriated customer. Waterbury says ABC agents will attempt to determine if Ruben”s was in violation by serving alcohol to Caldwell as well as any other violation of Local Option laws. She says no timetable has been set for the completion of the investigation.
“At such time we believe there is a violation, we will file charges,” said Waterbury.
If Ruben”s is found to be in violation of Local Option laws, the restaurant could face fines or the loss of its liquor license.
Caldwell, the safety director at Burkhalter Rigging Inc., died after a drinking contest with Joey Cox, an off-duty bartender at Ruben”s, Merchant said. Over the course of about an hour on Sunday evening, the two men tried to out-drink each other before employees took them away from the bar.
Caldwell”s blood alcohol level was 0.5 percent, Merchant said. A potentially lethal level, according to Merchant, is 0.35 to 0.4 percent. Mississippi”s legal limit to be considered intoxicated is .08 percent.
He compared the rate the men drank to a flash flood. “If it rains 3 inches over three days, that”s a lot of water, but you”re going to be OK,” Merchant said Wednesday. “If it rains 3 inches in an hour, you”ve got a hell of a problem.”
Both men were put in a booth so they could sleep off the alcohol.
“The two were laid downstairs and made comfortable,” Merchant said. “They went as far as to put some chairs under their legs so they wouldn”t fall out of the booths, and something was put under their heads. They could have been somewhere a lot worse.”
Employees tried to check on the two men every half hour, but they eventually got busy with other customers.
Merchant said he hopes to interview some of his sources again to clarify the progression of events.
Detective Ryan Rickert of the Lowndes County Sheriff”s Department is exploring the case but would not comment Wednesday.
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