Barrington teenager Kurt Grusmark, 18, testifies before the Providence Board of Licenses as it takes evidence regarding whether it should suspend or revoke the liquor license of SNM Liquors on Douglas Avenue in Providence.

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The Providence Journal / Andrew Dickerman

PROVIDENCE — Thomas “T.C.” Kooris, 17, a former Barrington High School hockey player, yesterday told the city Board of Licenses about a night of teenage beer drinking last Nov. 5 that preceded an auto accident in which a teen was killed.

Kooris testified that he purchased all or most of that beer from SNM Liquors, a Smith Hill liquor store, although he was younger than the legal age of 21 to purchase and possess alcoholic beverages.

Some of the beer, he testified, was drunk that night by Michael J. Silveira, then 16, before Silveira wrecked his car on New Meadow Road in Barrington and killed one of his passengers, Jonathan C. Converse, 16, who had been Silveira’s best friend.

Silveira pleaded no contest to a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, death resulting, and he was sentenced to serve two years at the Rhode Island Training School.

Kooris and a fellow former hockey player, Kurt Grusmark, 18, accompanied by their mothers, were the chief witnesses yesterday against Shawn Merilan, proprietor of SNM Liquors, in a license sanction hearing.

Assistant City Solicitor Steven L. Catalano, representing the police, pointed out that SNM Liquors has been penalized twice before for selling alcoholic beverages to minors. He asked that the board revoke Merilan’s sales license for this third offense.

“This could not have been easy for these two young gentlemen to come in here and testify today,” Catalano said of the accident that killed their friend Jon. Merilan, he said, sold the beer and a pint of vodka to Kooris “in complete disregard for the rules.”

Merilan’s lawyer, Steven D. DiLibero, asked the board to allow Merilan to keep his doors open and remain a productive businessman. Merilan and his employees recently have been trained to be sellers of alcoholic beverages and Merilan has always tried to comply with the orders of the board, DiLibero said.

His client “deeply regrets” what occurred Nov. 5, DiLibero said.

The board will make a decision within 10 days, chairman Andrew J. Annaldo announced.

The red-haired Grusmark, of 7 Lamson Rd., Barrington, a Barrington High School senior who at 18 looks somewhat younger than Kooris, sat with his hands folded in his lap for most of his testimony.

He related that he and Kooris went to hockey practice in Cranston and that he then drove Kooris to SNM Liquors late in the afternoon so that Kooris could buy alcohol. He went inside the store to help Kooris carry out the purchase of 3 30-packs of 12-ounce cans of Busch light beer and one pint of Kharkov vodka.

Merilan was behind the counter that afternoon, Kooris testified later, and asked him for his identification. Kooris replied that he did not have one, and Merilan asked him if he had ever signed the store’s minor book. Kooris replied that he had.

A liquor store clerk is supposed to have a buyer sign his name, address and date of birth in a minor book — the books are distributed by the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation — if there is any question regarding the buyer’s age. By signing the book, the buyer is attesting that he is of legal age to buy alcoholic beverages.

It was left unstated in testimony whether Merilan had Kooris sign the minor book on Nov. 5.

But Kooris testified that he had bought alcohol at SNM with another youth three days earlier, on Nov. 2, and that he had used a false name, Jay Todd, and a false birth date of 11-17-86 when he signed the book. Even the false birth date, Catalano established through Kooris’ testimony, would have made Kooris 20 years old, still younger than the legal age of 21 on the date of the Nov. 2 purchase.

The police have charged SNM with selling to a minor on Nov. 5 but not on Nov. 2.

Although he rocked his right foot back and forth on the floor throughout most of his testimony, the unshaven brown-haired Kooris appeared calm. He wore a navy pullover and tan slacks.

He said that he is a junior at Ocean Tides school in Narragansett, having been sent there by order of the Family Court as a result of his having been criminally charged by the Barrington police with possession of alcohol from the SNM transaction.

Catalano led him step by step through a chronology of the purchase and the evening of drinking that ensued. Kooris testified that he bought the beer and vodka “for me and my friends” as well as for some acquaintances and that about $70 was collected during the day at Barrington High to make the purchase.

They drank beer, Kooris testified, while driving around in a car and while they were outside or inside the houses of two of their teenage group.

Arys Batista, a license board member, asked Kooris where the teens’ parents were during the drinking.

“I don’t think they knew we were drinking,” the teen replied. “No parents saw us drinking.”

gsmith@projo.com