Date: December 13, 2002
Contact:
ALE Agent C. Simpson
336-854-2214
| For Release: Immediate
Date: December 13, 2002 |
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Contact:
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JUDGE ENTERS CONSENT JUDGEMENT AGAINST C&L RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE |
GOLDSBORO - Superior Court Judge Jerry Braswell entered a consent judgement Dec. 12 against the property known as C&L Restaurant and Lounge, located at 614 North John St. The defendants in the suit are Melvin and Doris Lewis.
This decision is the latest step in a civil nuisance abatement case brought by Wayne County District Attorney Branny Vickory on behalf of the State of North Carolina.
At the request of District Attorney Vickory, Agent C. Simpson of the Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) Nuisance Abatement Team investigated the nuisance complaint and compiled the information for the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged the property was a location where breaches of the peace frequently occurred, including two murders in the past year and other violent criminal behavior. Officers with the Goldsboro Police Department researched police records concerning the property and provided the information to Agent Simpson.
Under the conditions of the judgment, the defendants will ensure nuisance activities do not continue at the property. Melvin Lewis is to submit to the North Carolina ABC Commission for cancellation all ABC permits currently issued at the property. The defendants and all other persons are prohibited from ever operating on the property any type of adult establishment, bar, lounge, nightclub, dance club, disco club, game room or similar business, exclusive of a restaurant. The defendants are to post and maintain no loitering and no trespassing signs, initiate an eviction process against people who engage in any criminal act or engage in nuisance-related activity upon the property, and pay filing fees and costs assessed in this action. Future owners of the property are also bound by the terms of the court’s order. Additionally, the consent judgment prohibits the defendants from ever operating a nuisance elsewhere in North Carolina.
If the defendants or future owners violate the terms of the consent judgment, they may be held in contempt of court and subject to a fine and jail sentence.
“This consent judgment should be a welcome relief to those living near the C&L property,” said Vickory. “This has been a joint effort with ALE’s Nuisance Abatement team, the Goldsboro Police Department and the community to help restore peace to the neighborhood. Thanks go to the defendants as well, for their willingness to help rid the neighborhood of any future criminal activity.”
Goldsboro Police Chief Tim Bell said this is the first time he has worked with the ALE’s Nuisance Abatement Team and he is pleased with the resulting action. “Goldsboro should be a safe community for all of our citizens,” Bell said. “This is a useful tool if we have similar problems in the future.”
The secretary of the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety, Bryan Beatty, commended the City of Goldsboro for taking the action and said ALE works well assisting local communities with crime problems such as this one. “We are pleased to be able provide this help for our citizens,” said Beatty. “There is nothing more important than maintaining safe communities.”
Since its inception in 1994, ALE’s Nuisance Abatement Team has worked with local communities in addressing complaints at 504 properties across the state. The five-member team is currently investigating complaints at 20 to 30 locations across North Carolina.
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