Mickey’s Irish Pub has been ordered to close its doors for 37 days and pay a $1,500 fine for selling alcohol to minors and serving alcohol past 2 a.m.

The State of Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division issued the suspension, said Assistant City Attorney Judy Parks. It will be in effect from 6 a.m. Nov. 5 to 6 a.m. Dec. 12.

On Feb. 26, 2001, an undercover woman working for the Ames Police Department successfully bought alcohol at Mickey’s, 109 Welch Ave., Parks said.

Further investigation revealed that one week earlier, Feb. 20, an Ames Police officer caught the bar serving to minors, but didn’t press charges, she said.

The person caught serving alcohol in the Feb. 26 incident was charged with serving to minors, Parks said.

On Dec. 21, Mickey’s was cited for serving alcohol at 3:30 a.m., Parks said, but Iowa Code requires bars to stop serving at 2 a.m. Shortly after the bar opened in the fall of 2000, it was cited for over-occupancy.

The suspension is a proposed order, because neither the bar owners nor the attorney representing them showed up for the Sept. 26 hearing, she said.

“It becomes a final decision if it is not appealed within 30 days,” Parks said.

Doug Fulton, attorney for Mipthree, Inc., the corporation that owns Mickey’s, said he plans to appeal the decision.

“We are moving to vacate the decision, because we didn’t get any notice of the hearing,” Fulton said, refusing further comment.

The administrative judge who presided over the case said she had documentation that notification had been sent to the law firm representing Mipthree, Parks said. The judge decided to proceed with the hearing.

Parks brought the administrative charges in front of the Alcoholic Beverages Division July 16 after two criminal charges brought against Mickey’s had been decided.

There will be no decision made on the status of Mickey’s liquor license until it comes up for review again by the city’s liquor commission, she said.

“[Mickey’s] will not be able to serve alcohol for the suspension period,” Parks said, “[but] they will still have a license.”