Downtown Dayton club loses liquor license

In what may signal the final chapter for the troubled downtown club, Club Envy has lost an appeal to the Ohio Liquor Commission and its permit to serve alcohol.

The bar’s permit was first denied renewal on Oct. 1 at the recommendation of the Dayton City Commission.

The commission cited statistics from the Dayton Police Department that between Jan. 1, 2011, and July 22, 2012, there were 66 calls for service at the club, many involving drugs and weapons, and one shooting that resulted in death.

Dayton police Maj. Larry Faulkner called Envy “one of the most troublesome liquor establishments in downtown Dayton.”

The bar, 212 S. Ludlow St. and formerly known as the A-List Lounge, has repeatedly objected to the commission’s decision and requested a stay of execution.

In a letter dated Nov. 9, the liquor commission denied the bar’s motion. According to Assistant Dayton City Attorney Shannon Potts, that means the Oct. 1 renewal denial is now in effect and the bar can no longer operate a liquor-permit business.

Representatives for Club Envy could not be reached Thursday for comment on the decision.

At a hearing earlier this year, property owner Demetrius Wright argued that the club was not noisy and kept the streets and parking lot clean.

The liquor commission’s decision came just days after Jason Dashaun Shern pleaded guilty to murder in the 2011 shooting of Central State University football player Kordero Hunter at the club. Shern was sentenced Nov. 13 to 15 years to life in prison. Two others were injured in the melee.

In the aftermath of Hunter’s death, the club changed its name, but violent incidents have continued to plague the business.

In June, a fight spilled out of the club into the streets, and a 20-year-old theft suspect had to be subdued with a Taser by Dayton police. In September, a Dayton police officer was punched while trying to help security officers break up a brawl.

On the same day that the court took Shern’s plea deal, 28-year-old Jonathan Winn was arrested for having a handgun inside the club.

“At the end of the day, a lot of money was spent trying to bring them around and keep them,” said William Parsons, the police department’s downtown crime prevention officer. “We don’t like to have a business close down. We want to have a vibrant, engaging nightlife downtown, but it has to be safe.”

About the Author