Columbia, SC (WLTX) - Richland County deputies say they've shut down a Columbia club that had been the site of illegal activity for years.
Thee Whiskey Tavern, a club formally located at 200 Zimalcrest Drive, officially closed on Friday.
Richland County Sheriff Lott said Thee Whiskey Tavern was a hotbed for illegal activity. “Over the course of three years our deputies responded to Thee Whiskey Tavern some 90 times," Lott said in a statement. "These calls included aggravated assaults, robberies, weapon law violations, liquor law violations, criminal sexual conduct, and property crimes. Also, during a compliance check earlier this year deputies and County officials found that the business was operating illegally as a sexually oriented business."
In August of 2017, a magistrate judge upheld the recommendation to deny Thee Whiskey Tavern a new business license. The judge evicted the club from the property, giving them until November 3, 2017 to vacate.
Sheriff Lott says that the closing of the club could not have happened without the participation of concerned neighbors.
The sheriff calls the closing of Thee Whiskey Tavern is a win for deputies and the community.