(Beaver Dam) The liquor license for Johnny’s Lounge in Beaver Dam is not being renewed. The Common Council Tuesday night approved a non-renewal following a recommendation by Police Chief John Kreuziger. Five incidents were detailed by the chief, three of which have resulted in points assessed against the Madison Street tavern under the city’s Demerit Point Ordinance for liquor license violators. The incidents ranged from serving underage patrons to closing time fights to overserving that resulted in vehicular homicide. Chief John Kreuziger stressed public safety in his comments to the council saying it has been a very difficult decision, and that his recommendation is not based on individual incidents but based on the totality of the circumstances and testimony delivered.
Brent Eisberner, a lawyer for Johnny’s Lounge owner Amanda Hammen, noted that several of the allegations have not yet been proven in a court of law, and summarized his views on the decision. Eisberner shared that he thought the nights proceedings went better than expected, calling the evening not a complete rubber stamp against Johnny’s Lounge. He says you can tell the council members who have personal opinions which he believes will come out once the decision is brought to federal court. Eisberner says council members present during the first hearing have been provided with a litigation hold, which forbids the destruction or deletion of emails, texts, or phone records which he believes will benefit Johnny’s Lounge.
The current liquor license in effect for Johnny’s Lounge ends on June 30 of this year.
