Tuesday,  May 1, 2012 • Vol. 12--No. 292 • 17 of 37 •  Other Editions

(Continued from page 16)

• Pennington County State's Attorney Glenn Brenner earlier this month sent Wesolick a letter stating that Ifrit's was violating the smoking ban approved by state voters in November 2010. The ban exempts retail tobacco stores as long as they generate at least 65 percent of their income from tobacco sales and don't allow alcohol consumption.
• Brenner gave Ifrit's 15 days to either quit allowing customers to smoke or quit selling alcohol. Owners chose the latter.
• "It's not a voluntary act in that we agree with the decision," Wesolick said. "What could we do?"
• As the letter promised, Rapid City police followed up Monday with a compliance check and found that the business was no longer selling spirits.

• Police Chief Steve Allender applauded the move, saying in a news release that Ifrit's made the right choice "from a legal standpoint." But he acknowledged that, "from a business standpoint, this must have been a tough decision for the owners to make."
• Wesolick said he hopes the sales halt is temporary.
• Ifrit's owners, Charles Desmond and Brian Winckel, opened the store in late 2009 and have invested nearly $200,000 in it, according to court

(Continued on page 18)

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