Alcohol agency revokes raided bar’s license
The parish’s Office of Alcoholic Beverage Control has revoked the parish liquor license of a downtown Baton Rouge bar raided Friday night by state and local authorities, the office’s director said Wednesday.
Executive Director Chris Cranford said he decided Monday to suspend the license of Club Theory, 602 Main St., after the raid because the agency had been receiving complaints about the club for at least three months.
“Police were getting numerous calls for anything from a disorderly place to shots being fired (and) fights on the premises,” Cranford said.
The agency had previously cited the bar’s owners on July 3 for “adverse operation to the public health,” Cranford said.
A hearing before the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board had not yet been set for that citation, he said.
The board will decide at its Aug. 9 meeting if it will maintain the suspension, nullify the suspension or revoke the bar’s license, ABC board chairman Kris Perret said.
Members of the Baton Rouge Police Department, Office of the State Fire Marshal, Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control and Homeland Security Investigations arrested 29 people, 23 of whom were underage, at the club during the raid, police have said.
The names of the 23 minors arrested were not made public, but police released the names of six adults arrested on offenses that ranged from possession of marijuana to simple battery of an officer.
The club’s state license was still active as of Wednesday, but any alcohol-serving venue in East Baton Rouge Parish must have a parish license and state license to operate, Perret said.
“You cannot operate in East Baton Rouge Parish without a parish license,” he said.
The Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control is still considering whether it will revoke Club Theory’s state license, ATC Commissioner Troy Hebert said Wednesday.
Hebert said his office, which has investigated the club for about a month, is working with police to “gather all the facts” about the bar’s admissions policies and safety procedures.
Hebert said he expects his office to decide by the end of this week if it will hold a hearing to determine the bar’s status or institute an “emergency suspension,” which would be effective immediately.
“With the sheer number of minors going here, it’s pretty serious,” Hebert said.
In addition to the arrests, the bar was cited by the ATC for allowing in minors and for unsanitary conditions, Hebert said.
Police will continue to monitor the bar, said Cpl. Tommy Stubbs, a department spokesman.
“It will be monitored as well as other clubs in the area,” he said.
Hebert could not confirm the names of the owners of the club.
The club’s state liquor license filed on the ATC website says it is operated by a company called Theory Ent. LLC. The license does not list any specific owner names.
The bar was issued its state license Feb. 1, and it is scheduled to expire Jan. 31, 2013.
The Advocate on Wednesday called two numbers listed as belonging to Club Theory seeking comment.
One number was disconnected, while the other went directly to voicemail.