Jeremiah's owner plans to appeal loss of liquor license

An order revoking the liquor license for Jeremiah's bar was issued after no one representing the establishment appeared for a hearing on a February violation, state liquor control supervisor Peter Lobdell said Monday.

Jeremiah's, 127 Water St., operates with a special condition attached to its license -- no one younger than 21 is supposed to be on the premises after 11 p.m. When the bar was cited Feb. 10 for allowing a minor to drink, the citation was issued after 11 p.m., Lobdell said.

Lobdell traveled on Sept. 18 from Jefferson City to Cape Girardeau to hold an informal hearing on the citation. After owner Donald Ganim failed to appear and sent no representation, the order revoking the license as of Nov. 9 was issued, Lobdell said. "The minor was drinking and there weren't even supposed to be minors in there," he said.

Jeremiah's will be allowed to remain open pending appeal and could remain open if it is sold to someone with no connections to the current operators, Lobdell said.

Ganim, in an interview Monday afternoon, said he plans to appeal and has a buyer under contract to take over the bar. If the sale closes as expected, he said, his last day as proprietor will be Nov. 3.

Ganim declined to name the prospective new owners.

Jeremiah's license has been suspended on at least 10 occasions in the past 11 years, Lobdell said. That record played a major role in the decision to revoke the license, he said.

Ganim said a reporter's call was the first he had heard about the license action. He blamed difficulties with mail deliveries as a possible culprit for failing to appear at the hearing.

The revocation was likely a result of that no-show, Ganim said. "In a nutshell, they took it as a slap in the face that I didn't show up for my hearing. Liquor control has shut me down a dozen times, but they are always fair."

The notice of the revocation was sent to Ganim by certified mail on Oct. 5, Lobdell said. The alcohol control agency doesn't have a record yet noting that the notice was received, he said.

Ganim said he intends to appeal the revocation order to preserve his ability to operate another bar in the future.

"The only reason I am doing this is to save my name so I can open up something in the future if I want to," he said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126