A downtown Stillwater bar has been charged with serving alcohol to the 20-year-old man whose death in the extreme cold prompted an extensive search for him that ended with his body being found the next day more than 2 miles away.
Stillwater bar charged with serving liquor to underage man who died in extreme cold
Two weeks before George Musser wandered into the cold, his mother called the bar and said her son was "getting drunk while there," the charges read.
May 9, 2023 at 10:30PM
The City Attorney's Office charged Brian's Bar & Grill in Washington County District Court last week with furnishing liquor to someone under the legal age of 21, a gross misdemeanor, and a misdemeanor for allowing underage drinking.
George Musser, who grew up in Stillwater and was attending the University of Wisconsin-River Falls at the time of his death, was last seen leaving Brian's Bar & Grill at 2:10 a.m. Christmas Eve.
His family realized hours later that he hadn't come home. The family found his wallet near a restaurant close to Brian's and where his vehicle was parked. His keys were found near a trash bin. The family contacted police and organized a search.
Musser's body was found on Christmas night in the 5400 block of Osgood Avenue N. in Baytown Township. Musser died from exposure. He was wearing a flannel shirt, jeans, a stocking cap and shoes. While he was missing, temperatures had slipped below zero.
Two weeks before Musser died, Nancy Musser had called Brian's and said her son "was getting into the bar underage and getting drunk while there," the charges read. "[She] wanted to warn them that underage individuals know [the bar] is a place where they can drink underage."
The manager told Nancy Musser that the bar "was aware of the problem," the criminal complaint continued.
Bar co-owner Brian Asmus declined to comment about the allegations Tuesday, explaining that "we don't have any of the information from the police yet. We are working on getting that."
Asmus said he has read the complaint, "but I don't know how they came to that conclusion" that charges were warranted.
Messages were left with Musser family members seeking their reactions to the charges.
If convicted, the bar could be fined up to $3,000 on the gross misdemeanor count and up to $1,000 on the misdemeanor charge.
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