Nectarine must be sold; owner fined

Nectarine must be sold; owner fined

MAY 02 2001

By AMALIE NASH

News Staff Reporter

Ann Arbor’s largest nightclub has to be sold within 90 days and the owner must pay a $3,000 fine under a plea agreement reached between the Nectarine Ballroom and Michigan Liquor Control Commission involving charges of drug dealing, fighting and underage drinking on the premises.

. The liquor control commission met last week to officially accept the agreement, and owner Michael Bender pleaded guilty to 20 license violations in exchange for several others being dismissed. Under the agreement, manager Dan Vollmer was banned from the premises.

The liquor license violations were the result of a six-month undercover operation into drug dealing at the popular downtown nightclub. The investigation, conducted by the Livingston and Washtenaw Narcotics Enforcement Team last fall, ended when 13 felony warrants were issued against five people charged with intent to deliver ecstasy.

The liquor license violations were the result of a six-month undercover operation into drug dealing at the popular downtown nightclub.

Bender said Tuesday that he has a deal in place to sell the nightclub and submitted the proper paperwork to the liquor control commission this week. He declined to reveal the specifics of the deal until the ownership changes hands.

The Nectarine Ballroom will remain open until the sale is final, but if any more violations are charged, the license will be placed into escrow, the agreement says. The 90-day window for a sale can be extended at the request of the Ann Arbor Police Department.

Bender, who now works as a commercial real estate agent, said he’s also been serving as the manager since Vollmer — an 11-year employee — can’t return to the bar.

In a 98-page report sent to the liquor control commission in December, police charged that customers dealt ecstasy on the premises, employees were involved in fights and patrons smoked marijuana in the bar on July 14. One of the men charged with selling drugs was a former DJ at the Nectarine Ballroom.

Lt. Michael Zsenyuk, who performs liquor inspections for the police department, said he’s never drafted a report with so many violations, especially on the scale of the alleged narcotics trafficking.

Amalie Nash can be reached by e-mail at anash@annarbornews.com or at (734) 994-6832.

Ann Arbor's largest nightclub, the Nectarine Ballroom, must be sold within 90 days under an agreement with the Michigan Liquor Control Commission. Owner Michael Bender pleaded guilty to 20 license violations in exchange for several others being dismissed and will pay a $3,000 fine.