CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Charleston police officers arrested four people Tuesday on the city’s West Side at a bar allegedly connected to crime in the city.
Officers had begun investigating the Park Place bar on the corner of Park and Central avenues in April after Kanawha County assistant prosecutor Maryclaire Akers noticed a trend of drug and other crimes in the area.
“I can’t really go anywhere during any of my investigations over here without someone telling me, pointing to that bar and saying, ‘That’s the problem. Please shut it down,'” Akers said Tuesday evening.
Charleston Police Chief Brent Webster said drugs were being dealt from Park Place, describing the establishment as “ground zero” for crime and drug overdoses.
“We’re looking at who’s all involved, inside (and) outside,” he said.
Around 40 people were at the bar when police arrived. Webster said no one was injured Tuesday.
The West Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Administration was asked after the police operation to shut down the bar permanently.
“I’ve just not run across a lot of people that support this establishment,” Webster said. “I know people go in and have drinks and whatever. But the neighbors … I’ve never run across a neighbor that’s ever supported this place.”
Webster said more warrants will be issued in relation to the bar, adding the immediate goal is obtaining evidence.