The council is now okay with the Goat, a bar just outside of New Albany,
renewing its liquor license. The council had initially objected to the
renewal at the recommendation of the city attorney’s office after
police arrested several bar employees for serving alcohol to people under 21.
Attorney Will Nesbitt represented Goat employees who had been accused of
serving alcohol to individuals under the legal drinking age of 21. The
arrest prompted the Columbus City Council to object to the Goat’s
petition to renew its liquor license, but now that the charges have been
dropped, the council has withdrawn its objection.
Judge David Tyack who presided over this case ruled that a detective with
the Columbus police department entrapped several bar employees, and therefore
the employees were not guilty. The detective was a frequent patron of
the Goat, in fact, he was so close with employees of the Goat that he
even dated one of the bartenders. Goat employees trusted him. According
to court documents, the arresting officer brought the underage people
to the bar with him and allegedly leveraged his position of trust to get
employees to serve them alcohol.
Tyack’s ruling has prompted the Columbus police department to review
whether this is an isolated issue or a larger problem, although an assistant
city attorney has expressed his belief that this is a one-off incident.
To learn more about this case, visit
Bar’s liquor license no longer in jeopardy; judge says police entrapped servers.
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