The Lawrence Eagle Tribune published an editorial last week theorizing that if police accounts are accurate, the Capital Cafe & Grill in Lawrence should not be granted a liquor license.
Police say owner Juan Carlos Ramirez has been running an illegal after-hours club, serving alcohol without a license and providing exotic dancers for entertainment. Ramirez’s application for a liquor license is pending before the Licensing Board.
Lawrence police went to the restaurant’s 89 S. Broadway address last week to tow a vehicle. What they discovered was something else entirely, reported the Tribune.
On the 3 a.m. call, Lawrence Officer Alberto Inostroza overheard loud music coming from above the restaurant and followed the noise to the second floor. There they found anw apartment converted into a private strip club, complete with stripper poles, strobe lights and a well-stocked bar.
At least 20 people were inside having a party, police said. They said they also found a woman wearing a thong and a G-string trying to get dressed. She told the officer that she and a friend lived in the Bronx, N.Y., and were hired by Ramirez to dance.
Police are investigating whether any charges should be filed.
“The way he’s been running the club shows he is irresponsible and wouldn’t be a suitable holder for a liquor license,” police Chief John Romero told reporter Mark E. Vogler.
