The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

Local News

December 20, 2007

Alcohol sting latest incident at bar

By Greg Grisolano

ggrisolano@joplinglobe.com

PITTSBURG, Kan. — A sting conducted by area law officers and members of Kansas Alcoholic Beverage Control resulted in the arrest Wednesday night of a bartender and a manager at Twisters Club, 136 S. Highway 69.

Fletcher Hill, lead agent for the investigation with the state agency, said two 18-year-old women who were undercover showed their IDs to the bartender before being served drinks.

Bartender Jennifer R. Bishop, 27, of Pittsburg, was arrested on two counts of furnishing intoxicants to minors.

Club manager Daniel R. Hofer, 47, of Arma, also was arrested. He is accused of violating a county resolution that mandates that a drinking establishment maintain a ratio of food sales of 30 percent if people younger than 21 are to be allowed to enter.

In addition to court hearings on the charges, penalties could be imposed on the club, according to Hill.

“It could be anything up to a monetary fine and revocation of the liquor license,” he said. “That’s a separate administrative hearing (from the charges).”

Hill said he did not know whether any previous stings had been conducted on employees of Twisters, but he noted that his agency previously had assisted the state fire marshal’s office with some “capacity concerns.”

Crawford County Sheriff Sandy Horton said the owners of Twisters were “flagrantly violating” the county’s ordinance regarding food sales.

“They were in direct violation,” he said. “They were not selling food. There was no food on the premises. They did not even attempt to comply in the slightest way.”

Horton said Wednesday’s sting is the latest in a long string of incidents at the club, including a report of shots fired last Wednesday after the bar closed.

“Deputies responded and found a small pool of blood in the parking lot,” he said. “No local hospitals reported gunshot victims. At this point, we still don’t have a clear understanding of the event.

“There’s nothing close to this anywhere else in the county. To date in 2007, we’ve responded to 12 fight calls and arrested four people, two burglary calls, two hit-and-runs. Glancing at 2006, there are at least 35 calls at Twisters. You’re talking about a place that’s only open three days a week.”

Twisters is open Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Pittsburg police said they also have responded to calls at the club.

When reached Thursday at the club for comment, owner Pete Hofer Jr., also of Arma, declined to comment, pending a discussion with his lawyer.

“I really don’t know what’s taken place,” said Hofer, who said he was not at the club on Wednesday night when the sting was conducted.





Sheriff’s plan

Crawford County Sheriff Sandy Horton said Thursday that he plans to speak with state officials and the Crawford County prosecutor about filing an injunction against the club.

“I will ask, but I don’t know if I’ll get one,” he said. “There’s nothing that would restrict their operation at this time. As long as they’re open, they can certainly expect frequent law enforcement visits.”

Text Only
Local News
  • 020812 WEA radio4_72.jpg City wants to buy weather radios for those without

    Phil Jones had been working on a construction project outside his house all day on May 22 and was unaware that a tornado watch had been issued. Once he was inside, though, his weather radio went off, and he learned that a warning had been issued.

    February 9, 2012 1 Photo

  • JHS site plan_web.jpg Architects present preliminary JHS plans at community meeting

    Reaction appeared mostly supportive Thursday night among the roughly 50 people who attended a community meeting at which architects presented their preliminary site plans for the future combined Joplin High School and Franklin Technology Center.

    February 9, 2012 1 Photo

  • Confessed shooter testifies against co-defendants in Pittsburg murder case

    Rickey Smith testified Thursday that as he came in the back door of Ryan Bailey’s home in Pittsburg with a 9 mm pistol in his hand, Bailey looked up from the couch in his living room.

    February 9, 2012

  • School district’s proposed street-closing plan questioned

    Plans to close some streets near the proposed Joplin High School drew questions, including a challenge from a former Joplin mayor, during a public hearing this week.

    February 9, 2012

  • Neosho council approves new golf cart contract

    The purchase of golf carts was back on the agenda this week for the Neosho City Council. City Attorney Steve Hays said there were errors in the financing terms that were part of a bid approved last month for the purchase of 55 gas-powered carts from E-Z-Go for $144,195, so the purchase of a new fleet was rebid.

    February 9, 2012

  • Mike Pound: Spirit of competition evident during double-overtime game

    When I played basketball in high school, I played in several very close games.
    Now, some people who may have known me in high school are probably laughing right now and saying, “What Mike meant to say is that when he was in high school, he came very close to playing in some games.”

    February 9, 2012

  • Mo. optometrist filed $40 million refund claim

    A southwest Missouri optometrist who filed a tax return claiming a $40 million refund has been sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison.

    February 9, 2012

  • Okla. receives waiver from No Child Left Behind

    Oklahoma’s top education official reacted with glee Thursday with the announcement that the state is one of 10 states being granted a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind law that requires students be proficient in reading and math by 2014 — but focused on getting students to “just pass the tests.”

    February 9, 2012

  • Kan. House approves bipartisan redistricting bill

    Power in the Kansas House is likely to shift next year from rural parts of the state to the Kansas City area after members overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan bill Thursday for redrawing their districts.

    February 9, 2012

  • Fugitive in 1993 British heist arrested in Ozark

    A man suspected of stealing about $1.5 million from a security van in England in 1993 has been arrested in southwest Missouri.

    February 9, 2012

Sports
Facebook
Poll

The Joplin Board of Education has placed a $62 million bond issue on the April ballot. Will you support the plan?

Yes.
No.
     View Results
Opinion
Business
Twitter Updates
Follow us on twitter
Follow me on Twitter
NDN Video
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs Expert: Removing LA School's Staff 'Appropriate' Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal $25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines Obama Gives Education Waivers to 10 States Giffords Aide to Run for Her Seat LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens Winter Slamming North Asia, Parts of Europe Syrian Forces Renew Bombardment of Homs States, Banks Reach Foreclosure-abuse Settlement Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal Raw Video: U.S. Pullout Celebration Raw Video: Annual Empire State Building Run-Up Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
House Ads