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Alcohol board reduces fine for Fayetteville nightclub Thursday, Mar 20, 2008 By John Lyon Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - The state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board voted Wednesday to reduce the penalties imposed on a Fayetteville nightclub because of a fight that happened at the club last year. The board also approved a private club license for a planned restaurant in Rogers and approved a fine for a Little Rock piano bar that admitted former Arkansas running back Darren McFadden although he was under 21. In an order dated Nov. 15, ABC Director Michael Langley fined Electric Cowgirl/Billiards Palace in Fayetteville $1,000, ordered its liquor license suspended for one week and placed the club on probation for one year for serving an intoxicated patron and violating the "good neighbor" clause of the state's liquor laws. Owner Anthony Catroppa appealed that decision, and in a 4-0 vote - board member Patricia Cohee was not present - the board agreed Wednesday to reduce the fine to $750 and the suspension to three days. The one-year probation still stands. The club was penalized for an incident in June in which a fight between two female patrons triggered a fight between three male patrons. Several people were injured, including a club employee who tried to break up the fight between the three male patrons. Catroppa said club employees did everything they could to control the situation, including calling police and trying to stop the fight. Board member Tony Ellis said he agreed. "I feel like the club did their best," he said. The board also unanimously approved a private club license for Tom Kats, to be located on South 8th Street in Rogers. Rogers Police Chief Steve Helms told the board he opposed the application because he was told Tom Kats would not serve food. After owner Thomas Arnold testified that the business would be a restaurant with a full kitchen and a full menu, Helms said he had no objection. Tom Kats will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Arnold said. The board also approved an order by Langley fining Ernie Biggs piano bar in Little Rock $500 and placing the club on probation for one year for admitting a person under 21. McFadden, 20, was briefly handcuffed after Little Rock police responded to a fight involving several people at the club on Jan. 10. An assistant manager of the club told police he instructed the doorman to admit McFadden, even though the two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up had been turned away earlier in the evening because of his age. Langley said last month the club had agreed to accept the punishment. |
