Since Fairfax County is pretty much an upscale suburban area, residents were surprised to learn, last month, that special agents of the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) seized a still there.
But no arrests were immediately made until the ABC could sort out exactly who owned the illegal distilling apparatus. However, things have now changed and two people have been charged in connection with the crime.
Both are Oakton residents: Daniel Llewellyn Alexander, 20, of the 3100 block of Miller Heights Road, and Jason Ronald Kuhn, 19, of the 11000 block of Waples Mill Road. Warrants were obtained Nov. 14; Kuhn's was served on Nov. 16, and Alexander's was served on Nov. 17.
Both are charged with possession of a still without a permit. And, according to the Virginia Code, section 4.1-314, "No person shall keep, store or have in his possession any still, or distilling apparatus, without a permit from the (ABC) Board.
Ever-vigilant in their job to prohibit the production of illegal moonshine, ABC authorities seized the still Oct. 8, shortly after 10 p.m., with help from Fairfax County police. "The police received a call from a concerned citizen indicating there may be a still at this location," said ABC spokeswoman Becky Gettings. "They, in turn, called ABC, and they went together and confiscated it."
The still was discovered on residential property along Valley Road in the Penderbrook area, in a shed-type building adjacent to the home there. "The agent said that there was or is evidence that it could possibly have been an active still," said Gettings.
Possession of a still without a permit is punishable by as much as a year in jail and/or a fine of $2,500. Both Alexander and Kuhn have Jan. 6 court dates.