Casa Rica Hearing Scheduled for Friday

The State Liquor Authority confirmed on Tuesday that a hearing on 's suspended alcohol license and corresponding alleged charges - totaling 10 - will take place on Friday.

Riverhead Police Chief David Hegermiller stated that he will be in attendance at the hearing, scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Nassau County Supreme Court, along with close to 20 other members of the department. A Monday hearing is also scheduled as hearings usually take more than one day.

The hearings are open to the public as well.

Casa Rica, located at 65 E Main Street, was of its alcohol license last week following a stabbing which hospitalized a Flanders man in mid-October. Summary suspensions, according to SLA Director of Public and Legislative Affairs, Bill Crowley, are only given in "egregious" cases where public safety is highly jeopardized. Crowley estimated the state issues 10-15 summary suspensions per year in total.

"The vast majority of summary suspensions end in the termination of an alcohol license," Crowley said. "I can't tell you what's going to happen, but the concern for public safety in this case so far has been to issue this summary suspension."

In addition to the immediate physical threat Casa Rica has posed, Hegermiller has estimated that those threats have cost his department - and resultantly, the taxpayer - in recent months. Since July 16, Hegermiller reported that police details on weekend nights/early mornings have cost his department $23,000 in overtime costs.

"The patrons at Casa Rica have been a thorn in the department's side," Hegermiller said. "They've cost us a lot of work. We've received over 130 complaint calls between when it first opened (in April of 2009) to now."

Casa Rica currently stands charged with 10 counts of violations of the state Alcohol Beverage Control Law and Rules of Authority. A copy of the suspension order, including a list of the alleged charges against Casa Rica, can be found here.

For those unable to attend Friday's hearing, written comments may be submitted to SLA Chairman Dennis Rosen or Commissioners Jeanique Greene and Noreen Healey. Letters can be sent to: Secretarys_Office@abc.state.ny.us