Hagerstown establishment could have its liquor license suspended

Board considers action after fights outside restaurant, bar

January 17, 2008|By DAN DEARTH

Duffy's on Potomac could face a liquor license suspension of as many as 30 days for fights outside the restaurant and bar on Nov. 21 and 22, said Robert L. Everhart, chairman of the Board of License Commissioners for Washington County.

Everhart also said Wednesday that the establishment could face a maximum fine of $2,500.

He said the liquor board commissioners would make a decision within 30 days.

Everhart's comments came after Mike Deming, owner of Duffy's on Potomac at 28 S. Potomac St., left the hearing. Deming, in a phone call after the hearing, said he would have no comment until the commissioners make a decision.

Deming went before the commissioners to discuss the events outside the restaurant on the night of Nov. 21 and in the early-morning hours of Nov. 22.

Deming only offered a brief statement during the hearing.

"We just continue to do the best we can," he said. "That night, we had a lot of people downtown."

Gary Hoffman, the head of security at Duffy's, told the commissioners that he anticipated a big crowd that night, which was the eve of Thanksgiving, and he hired extra staff as a result. Nearly 1,000 people were in the bar over the course of the night and early morning, he said.

Hagerstown Police Officer Nicholas Varner testified that two fights occurred outside the bar that night into morning. The fights started as verbal altercations inside the bar and became physical after the patrons went outside, he said.

Five people were arrested outside Duffy's and charged with disorderly conduct, according to records from the Hagerstown Police Department.

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