The Crystal was shut down indefinitely this past weekend after a complaint revealed the bar had been illegally selling alcohol for nearly three years.
State liquor enforcement agents shut down the bar, located at 34 N. Court St., Friday night after investigating a complaint that The Crystal had been operating with a suspended liquor license since 2008, said Julie Hinds, spokeswoman for the Ohio Investigative Unit.
The Liquor Control Commission issued The Crystal’s suspension Aug. 25, 2008 for failing to pay excise taxes, according to Ohio Division of Liquor Control documents.
The suspension went into effect on Sept. 22, 2008, according to the documents.
Under the suspension, the bar is not permitted to sell alcohol until the taxes are paid, Hinds said. Agents shut the bar down Friday and explained the steps necessary to alleviate the problem, she added.
“The bar will be closed until the owner pays off what he owes,” Hinds said.
The Crystal’s management did not return several calls for comment.
After The Crystal’s management did not respond to requests for payment from the Ohio Department of Taxation in 2008, department officials transferred the business to the state Attorney General’s office, said Gary Gudmundson, spokesman for the department.
Gudmundson said he could not comment on how much money the bar owes.
Although alcohol was sold during the bar’s suspension, no alcohol was seized as a result of the shutdown, Hinds said.
“The alcohol was not seized because the license was only suspended, not revoked,” she added.
If the license had been revoked in 2008, liquor control would have seized the alcohol on the premises this past weekend, she said.
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