Serving alcoholic beverages to underage drinkers cost two Howard County licensees a combined $700 in fines this month.

The licensees for Bennigan's, 5585 Sterrett Place in Columbia's Town Center, were fined $400 by the county Alcoholic Beverage Hearing Board on June 17 for serving a 19-year-old woman during a "band night" event at the restaurant in September.

Both sides agreed that the woman was admitted despite a doorman checking the age of entrants to keep out people younger than 21, and the bartender did not ask for identification before serving her. County police Detective Martin Johnson discovered the violation.

Thomas M. Meachum, attorney for David Jones and Aaron Bloom, licensees, told the board during a hearing in March that the bartender was fired and band nights have been discontinued.

In the other case, the board levied a $300 fine on Harry Hinkle, licensee of Columbia Liquors, 6799 Old Columbia Pike, on June 11 after finding that Hinkle's former partner sold beer to an underage, undercover Maryland State Police cadet - even after checking his driver's license.

John C. Belding, now retired, had just returned to work after heart bypass surgery in August when the incident occurred, Hinkle told the board.

Belding thought he was checking for tobacco product sales - which carries a minimum age of 18 - rather than for alcohol, and sold the cadet beer, although his license showed he was under the legal drinking age of 21.

Hinkle said it was the store's first violation since opening in 1984.