Tuesday, June 29, 2004
The bar manager questioned why police have stopped providing security.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- When asked about Antonio's nightclub on South Raccoon Road, Assistant Mahoning County Prosecutor Ken Cardinal says he's reminded of one of the township's more notorious former clubs.
"We see the same pattern developing as we saw at The Mill," Cardinal said.
It's a comparison that Antonio's Manager Tony Scandy believes is unfair.
"This is a great place, people love this place, we do a good job," Scandy said, noting that Antonio's has been named one of the top 10 nightclubs in Ohio by newspapers in Cleveland and Columbus.
But Cardinal says that like the bouncers at The Mill, bouncers at Antonio's have been throwing out troublemakers before calling police. As a result, police have not been able to prove who started disturbances, file charges against troublemakers, or confirm accusations of misconduct against bouncers, he said.
The problems at The Mill led police to file criminal charges against the corporation named on the club's liquor permit. The club eventually changed ownership.
"The only way to get their attention is to go against the liquor establishment permit holder," Cardinal said.
Criminal activity charge
Last week, Cardinal filed a charge of organizational criminal liability against Corso Foods Inc., which holds the liquor license for Antonio's.
Cardinal said under state law, a liquor permit holder can be charged with organizational criminal liability if it allows criminal activity to occur at a bar or restaurant.
Austintown Det. Sgt. Frank Tomasino said he asked Cardinal to file the charges because police have received several calls about fights with bouncers at Antonio's. Police records show officers have received 15 calls to investigate fights or assaults at the bar since March 2003, as well as two reports of assaults by bar employees.
Atty. Damian Billak, who represents Corso Foods, entered a written plea of innocent to the charge Monday in Mahoning County Court in Austintown on behalf of the corporation.
Tomasino approached Cardinal about charging the bar with organizational criminal liability after police received a report about a fight involving bouncers May 30.
Scandy stressed that he called police to respond to that fight.
"Our staff does a great job," he said. "Their job is not to beat up anybody. They know that."
He also noted that the number of reports received about Antonio's pales in comparison with the number of calls about The Mill. Police received a total of 173 calls to The Mill between November 2001 and November 2002.
Security
The owner of Antonio's is Robert Camardo, who also is the president and sole shareholder of Corso Foods. At a recent township trustees' meeting, Camardo said that Antonio's had paid off-duty police officers to help provide security as part of an agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police until this spring.
Scandy said police did an "incredible" job providing security while they worked at Antonio's. Camardo said he hadn't been told why police stopped providing security at Antonio's.
Acting Police Chief Mark Durkin later said officers stopped providing security after they found that Scandy had a criminal past. Scandy pleaded guilty in 1992 to felony drug abuse in county common pleas court, and in 1997, he pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to unlawful transport of firearms, a felony, court records show.
Police department rules prohibit officers from associating with felons.
Scandy, however, said he's talked to several police officers throughout the county who question Durkin's decision to halt the police protection. He said police helped serve as deterrent for problems at the nightclub.
"Nobody agrees with Mr. Durkin," Scandy said.
hill@vindy.com.