A Montgomery man was arrested Tuesday in Covington County for allegedly using a forged lease to obtain a liquor license for a Troy restaurant.

Lt. Lance Price of the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board said Gebrian Devain Blackwell, 25, faces a second-degree forgery charge as a result.

“Mr. Blackwell was attempting to establish a restaurant in Troy called ‘The Locker Room II’ and had applied for a liquor license,” Price said. “The ABC Board expedited the process to ensure Mr. Blackwell would meet his target opening date of Troy’s big televised ballgame.”

Price said an investigation into the operation of the club revealed Blackwell did not submit an original lease for the Troy property when submitting his application.

Price said agents then discovered Blackwell’s father, owner of Montgomery’s former Igor’s Restaurant, had executed the original lease.

Price said that restaurant’s liquor license had previously been revoked due to state violations.

“So in essence it means that when Mr. Blackwell brought in a lease with his name on it, it was a forged lease,” he said. “In Alabama, a liquor license is a privilege and for someone to obtain one falsely, is to break the law.”

And even though Blackwell is a Montgomery resident, Price said the arrest was made possible locally because of a new ABC Board policy requires all alcohol licenses to be obtained “in agency.”

“Which means if someone in our six county district needs a license, they have to come to Andalusia to apply,” Price said. “So when he broke the law, he did it in Andalusia.”

Blackwell was booked into the Covington County Jail and held on a $50,000 bond.