ScOUNDRELS
John Zderik.
Attorney David Crosby with Crosby & Fox LLC, representing Zderik, said it’s only a matter of time until the next incident.
“It’s (the pub) is in an area of town that has shootings happening across the street,” Crosby said. “There was nothing the owner could have done (to prevent) in any of those shootings.”
Chairman Tony Alamo said it’s the first surrender of a license in “a couple of years” and said it is the first time he can recall during his eight years on the commission that a gaming license was surrendered because of violence.
“To my recollection, we’ve never had a surrender because of violence to the property,” Alamo said. “We believe that a licensee is required to be worried and take care of everything within the sidewalk, not just the building. It’s a health and safety issue.”
Under terms of the settlement ne- gotiated between the Gaming Control Board and Zderik, Zderik will “neither admit nor deny” the allegations in the complaint, waive his right to a public hearing and surrender Scoundrels’, as well as his own, restricted gaming license.
“It’s not a revocation, it’s a surrender,” said Alamo, adding that he would have considered taking action to revoke the license, which would entail hearings, if Zderik did not voluntarily surrender.
The Gaming Commission also approved a $215,000 fine plus a charge of $35,000 for the cost of investigation for Drock Gaming LLC and Derek Stevens, the operator of the Golden Gate; a $6,000 fine that would be reduced to a $1,000 fine for Silverado Ranch Restaurants LLC property known as Doc Holliday’s and a Brewery Restaurants LLC property known as 4 Play and their operator, Thomas James Brletic; and a $150,000 fine for Rebel Oil Co. operators of a chain of convenience stores. Contact Nicole Raz at nraz@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4512. Find @JournalistNikki on Twitter.