TEMPE, AZ — Tempe Tavern has closed after 15 years in business, shutting its doors the same day liquor control investigators were called in to examine the bar's connection with a deadly crash.
A lawyer for the bar said the closure was decided earlier this month, and prior to a deadly crash last week, rather blaming "dramatically reduced business" due to what he called "harassment" by regulators and police.
"Tempe Tavern has endured countless media smears, but not one single charge has been filed against it by the Department of Liquor [Licenses and Control]," attorney Timothy La Sota said.
But multiple proceedings are still pending.
Last week, the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) arrested Zachary Penrod, 21, accusing him of killing a grandmother in a car wreck as her family changed a tire on the side of U.S. 60 in Mesa.
The Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control (DLLC) was called in to assist in the investigation as DPS executed a search warrant at Tempe Tavern on Sept. 16. DLLC determined Penrod had been drinking at the bar shortly before the crash.
The agency said that investigation could potentially bring charges against Tempe Tavern, though it is still ongoing.
This is not the first deadly crash tied to Tempe Tavern. ABC15 previously reported the suspect in a fatal hit-and-run last September was also drinking there before the crash.
State regulators raided the bar twice last year, targeting underage drinking, and found that 80% of all underage drinking arrests in Tempe over a two-year span happened at Tempe Tavern.
In March, state investigators recommended permanently revoking Tempe Tavern's liquor license, citing 11 categories of violations and calling the bar a "danger to the community." An administrative hearing in November centered on the underage drinking raids will determine if the liquor license will remain valid, the DLLC said.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office turned down a case against the bar, also in March, and referred the case to the Tempe city prosecutor. A non-jury trial is now set for Oct. 22 in the municipal court, though the city noted that may be rescheduled.
The prosecutor accuses Tempe Tavern and owner Robert Tasso of violating city code by having minors on the premises, operating over occupancy as well as another security violation, recklessly creating or maintaining a condition that endangers and maintaining a premise where persons gather to engage in unlawful conduct.
La Sota said Tempe Tavern will continue its civil rights lawsuit against the city, its officials, and regulators, and will add the closure of the bar to the damages.
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