A Brookfield tavern will be closed for three days this week after Village President Michael Garvey suspended the business owner’s liquor license during a hearing on the afternoon of May 14.
The Local Bar and Grill, 3733 Grand Blvd., was closed Tuesday and will remain closed Wednesday and Thursday after Garvey ruled that alcohol was being consumed inside the bar after hours on March 5.
The bar also must pay $750 in fines related to an underage-drinking incident a month later, on April 1. On that date, Brookfield police sent underage undercover agents into Local and two other bars in Brookfield. According to police, the bartender served the two minors beer without checking identification.
Megan Knox, the owner of the Local Bar and Grill, said at the liquor commission hearing held Friday that the bartender who served the beer to the minors had been fired. Since the incident, Knox said the bar has been outfitted with surveillance cameras and two ID scanners.
The security cameras were installed by the building’s owner so he can monitor the goings-on inside the bar at all times, Knox said.
The Local Bar and Grill has been either directly or indirectly involved with several police incidents in recent months. An employee was arrested and charged with dealing drugs, and there have been reports of fights at the bar.
Brookfield dropped two other charges leveled against Local at the May 14 liquor commission hearing, both drunk driving incidents where drivers reportedly said they had been at Local prior to being stopped by police.
Village Attorney Tom Bastien said the charges were dropped in order to expedite Friday’s hearing and impose discipline for the other incidents.
“I felt it was appropriate to dismiss those charges because we’d have to subpoena the officers and wait until the criminal matter was over in court,” Bastien said. “I think the message has been sent.”
Garvey told Knox that should other incidents occur, the penalties would get progressively tougher.
“I’m glad to hear that certain measures have taken place,” Garvey said. “We don’t want vacant storefronts, but we also don’t want liquor violations.”
– Bob Uphues
