Austintown Township trustee wants to see local bar shut down
Austintown township trustee Robert Santos said rounds of gunfire this past weekend outside of a local bar is the final straw that broke the camel's back and he wants to see it shut down.
Santos said the consistent criminal activity At Zodiac Club Lounge & Grill is unsafe for the community and that business owners aren't making changes despite the issues.
Austintown Police report they found dozens of shell casings and a live round of ammo outside of the bar on South Four Mile Run Road.
Santos said this spot has been a constant issue for years and is fed up.
"These are the type of incidents that we do not want to have here in Austintown," he said, "It does cause a big concern for the safety of our residents."
Santos said he wants the bar to close down and is working with township officials on what their legal authority is.
He added that the bar owners have not been making changes despite the issues and allow people inside after hours.
"They stop selling liquor a certain time, but then they close and open up again as a private party, and they do a 'BYOB' which is like a loophole to the whole alcohol sales," he said, "It's something that we're addressing. We have a few phone calls out right now. We're waiting for some guidance."
Austintown police reports show four incidents this past weekend at the Zodiac Club, including gunfire, criminal damage, property damage and assault.
"I think they've had their chances. They've had their time to correct these issues from reoccurring," he said, "So as far as I'm concerned that time has come, that time has passed, and they either need to relocate or just shut down altogether."
21 News went to the bar for comment and no one appeared to be there and the bar's listed phone number appeared to be disconnected.