The Grail to appeal rejection of liquor license

HUETTER, Idaho – The owner of a North Idaho nightspot that tried male dancers, “Fantasy and Fetish” nights, and Jell-O wrestling to attract patrons is appealing a decision not to renew his liquor license and says he is being harassed by law enforcement officers who want his bar shut down.

In December, The Grail lost its restaurant endorsement that allowed it to serve food to people under 21.

In January, the Kootenai County commission declined to renew The Grail’s liquor license, alleging it served minors and continued to serve alcohol to customers who should have been cut off.

However, Idaho State Police Alcohol Beverage Control has no record of bar workers serving minors or serving customers too much during the past three years.

“We’re being unfairly targeted by a select group of police officers who are determined to have us close,” Lang Sumner told the Coeur d’Alene Press. “If we’re such bad guys, after four years shouldn’t there be a ticket?”

Kootenai County Sheriff Rocky Watson said he didn’t know why the bar hadn’t been cited even though emergency responders made 510 service calls during the past four years.

“I’d have to go through the individual reports to tell you,” Watson said.

“It has the highest call for services in the area. It’s all real stuff. We made a lot of arrests out there.”

Sumner said he used to employ 47 people but is now down to four, which includes his parents.

“This has hurt our business,” he said. “Our customers are upset with the way they’ve been portrayed.”

A public hearing on Sumner’s appeal of the liquor license decision is planned for March 13. Commissioners declined to comment until after the appeal process.

But in a January letter to Sumner informing him of its decision, the commission said Grail employees served alcohol to underage people and that activities at the bar had led to vandalism, fistfights, stabbings and gang activity.

It also said that Grail employees kept serving a man who was later involved in a head-on crash.

Sumner said the only gang that comes to The Grail is a group of Christian bikers who hold regular meetings there, including church services.

“We don’t want gangs or drugs at The Grail,” Sumner said.

“It’s a family business, and we want people to come back.”

But Watson, referring to an assault outside the club in 2003 that left one man dead, said: “Sumner is looking for anything. People don’t get killed in front of family establishments.”

Sumner said The Grail wanted to work with law enforcement.

“When we had minors trying to get in with fake IDs, we would call the Sheriff’s Department,” he said. “They told us to stop. When there is a problem, we call the police. The saying is, ‘You hurt The Grail, you go to jail.’ “

But sheriff’s Capt. Ben Wolfinger said workers at The Grail haven’t cooperated with the Sheriff’s Department and hindered them by shining lights into officers’ eyes.

“We’ve not had the opportunity to get inside,” he said. “But we’ve heard stories.”