Family attorney says 19-year-old Bristol Palin’s appearance at Alaska bar was legal

Attorney: Bristol Palin only ate at Alaska bar

JUNEAU, Alaska — A Palin family attorney is defending as legal Bristol Palin’s appearance at an Anchorage establishment where her “Dancing with the Stars” partner Mark Ballas performed.

The Alaska Dispatch newspaper had reported that a state Alcohol and Control Board investigator visited its office, asking for copies of raw video shot during the performance at Rumrunners Old Towne Bar and Grill last week.

Palin is 19 and could only legally be in the establishment if accompanied by a parent, spouse or legal guardian over 21. State law also would allow her to be there if it’s been designated as a bona fide restaurant, and she was there only to eat.

Attorney Thomas Van Flein says Palin was with two people over 21, ate food and did not consume any alcohol. She told him she left by about 10 p.m.