Carmel restaurant owner facing charges for allegedly violating Shelter in Place

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, Calif. (KION) The owner of a Carmel restaurant is facing charges for allegedly violating the Shelter in Place order by allowing customers to dine-in.

The Monterey County District Attorney's Office said it has filed criminal charges against Jeffrey LeTowt, the owner of The Tuck Box, for allegedly serving customers at the restaurant, allowing them to eat there, not wearing a face covering around customers and not implementing social distancing protocols.

Before filing charges, Carmel police, the DA's Office and the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control said the warned LeTowt that he was violating the order and about the consequences.

LeTowt is facing the possibility of a fine of up to $1,000 and/or six months behind bars for each misdemeanor count, of which he faces three.

"Ultimately, it'll be in the discretion of the judge to determine what the punishment will be in this case," said Emily Hickok, a Monterey County deputy district attorney.

“Our community is facing an unprecedented public health threat. I want to commend all the individuals and businesses who are sacrificing so much to protect our community from this disease. While so many are doing their part, we cannot allow a business to defy these emergency public health orders and risk the progress that our community has made," District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni said.

KION spoke with nearby restaurants in Carmel on Thursday to see how they have been doing.

"We are at about a quarter of what we do usually," said Faisal Nimri, the owner of Dametra Cafe.

Nimri has been doing curbside pickup for his Dametra Cafe for weeks now. While he understands the frustration fellow restaurant owners are feeling, he is choosing to follow the county health orders.

"Well, we want the well-being of everybody... for me, for my family, for our locals. And we do trust the local authorities and the county," said Nimri. "At the same time, there's a level of frustration from everybody."

Nimri says he has seen a few businesses close in Carmel, unable to keep up with the pressure of closure.

While he is happy to follow the rules right now, he is hoping for some help very soon.

"We hope that the county will kind of give in a little bit so they can also help us out so we can stay alive," said Nimri.

KION reached out to the owner of Tuck Box Restaurant to get his side of the story, but he declined to comment.