NIGHT SPOT PUT ON PROBATION; PEPPY'S SCENE OF TOO MUCH TROUBLE, SAYS POLICE CHIEF

Cape Girardeau Police Chief Rick Hetzel held a stack of incident reports taken over the last 11 months at Peppy's Sports Bar and Dance Club.

The Cape Girardeau City Council voted unanimously Monday to place Peppy's Sports Bar and Dance Club on six months probation after police were called to the night club 43 times in 11 months.

Incidents at Peppy's, 823 S. Kingshighway, ranged from assaults to theft, said Mayor Al Spradling III. The number of incidents there were more than three times those at the bar with the next highest number of incidents, the Alibi Club.

More alarming, Spradling said, was that several of the assault charges were brought against bouncers by bar patrons. The Liquor Establishment Activity Report prepared by the police department shows that seven of the 43 incidents allegedly involved bouncers assaulting patrons.

"They're having some serious problems there," Spradling said. "If the problems are not corrected and we do not see any measurable change, the City Council will refuse to reissue their liquor license. If there isn't something done, we don't think they should have a liquor license."

The council will meet in six months to determine whether to renew the bar's liquor license. The bar had requested a yearlong liquor license to take effect July 1.

The probation came at the recommendation of Police Chief Rick Hetzel. He presented the required activity report that listed the incidents.

Hetzel said he recommended probation because he has a responsibility to ensure that businesses applying for liquor licenses do not pose a threat to the community. Hetzel said Peppy's clearly does pose a threat.

"When you have this number of reports to one establishment -- with assaults, unlawful use of a weapon, and stealing -- the council's decision for probation was probably pretty fair," Hetzel said.

Peppy's owner, Dewayne Casey, and manger Doug Armour said they have a higher number of calls to police but only because they have a higher number of customers. They said they have 500 to 700 customers on good nights while other bars may have only about 100.

"With that many more people, you're going to have a little more trouble," Armour said. "And the state liquor officials say that if you have a situation you have to control it. If we have a fight here and let it go, we're in trouble."

But Casey and Armour said the police chief isn't just concerned about the high number of incidents. They said Hetzel is retaliating against them for a March incident involving a fight between several off-duty intoxicated law-enforcement officers, including a Cape Girardeau policeman.

The officers had participated in a football game against Springfield and officers from Springfield and Cape Girardeau went to Peppy's following the game, the men said.

Casey and Armour allege a Cape Girardeau police officer and a Missouri highway patrolman refused to leave Peppy's at 1:30 a.m., when bars are required by law to stop selling alcohol.

When the officers became belligerent, bouncers tried to physically remove them from the bar, Casey and Armour said. A fight between several officers and the bouncers broke out, they said.

Casey said he was pushed and cursed by an officer and Armour said he was hit by officers.

Hetzel said there was an incident at Peppy's and an internal-affairs investigation was conducted by police from Springfield, Cape Girardeau and the Highway Patrol.

He would only say that one Cape Girardeau police officer was reprimanded but he didn't know about officers from Springfield and the Highway Patrol.

Hetzel insisted that his recommendation for probation against Peppy's had nothing to do with that incident.

"It's hogwash," Hetzel said. "One had nothing to do with the other."

While discussions between Hetzel, Armour and Casey were held after the incident, no formal complaint has been filed by Peppy's. Hetzel said when police learned of the incident an investigation was initiated. That was one day before Hetzel was contacted by anyone at Peppy's.

Hetzel said six months will allow the police department to evaluate how the business is responding to the probation and patron complaints in an effort to reduce the calls for assistance required there.

Armour said they don't know what they can do differently except not call the police when there is trouble.

"That's not the solution," Hetzel said. "The staff needs to understand how to work with patrons, how to effectively use control skills without assaulting them."

Said Casey: "We've tried our best to get along with them. What else could it be? We're strict. If someone acts up, we make them leave and they're barred."