Another tavern in danger of losing liquor license

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LEWISTOWN - Another local tavern has been singled out as a nuisance bar by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and is in danger of losing its liquor license.

A recent ruling issued by the PLCB states that the Bierhaus, on U.S. Highway 522 South in Granville Township, has been denied a renewal of its Restaurant Liquor License.

The Bierhaus is the second tavern in Mifflin County this year to be denied the renewal of license. In a previous ruling made by the PLCB, the board denied the renewal license for the Gold Star Pub on West Market Street in Lewistown.

Both bars have the right to appeal the PLCB ruling and have their cases heard by a common pleas judge in Mifflin County.

Mifflin County District Attorney Steve Snook said some bars in Mifflin County such as the Bierhaus and the Gold Star Pub were repeat offenders, and the local law enforcement agency was dealing with a wide range of incidents, everything from fights in the parking lot and drug sales to serving visibly intoxicated people who would then get in their car and attempt to drive.

Snook said the law enforcement agency really started to look closely at some of these local bars after an investigation was launched in 2004 by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office and local law enforcement to track narcotics distribution in Mifflin and Juniata counties. After a three-year investigation, 19 people were charged with drug-related offenses in April 2007.

According to court documents, over $1 million worth of crack cocaine was circulated throughout the Juniata Valley by those individuals.

One of the primary Mifflin County distributors in the drug ring, Jose Laboy-Rivera, sold drugs from these bars as well at his former residence in Lewistown. Rivera along with the remaining 18 people in the drug ring have since been prosecuted and sentenced for their involvement.

Snook said he understands how difficult it must be to run a bar; however, the owner has a responsibility to keep an eye on what is going on in their business.

"There are several steps bars can take to improve things," Snook said, adding that installing good digital cameras can be a powerful deterrent for those who are up to no good.

"Supervision takes commitment by the bar staff," Snook said.

Attempts to contact Bierhaus owner Marjorie Goodman for comment were unsuccessful.