Dodge County supervisors voted to recommend new liquor licenses for The Lariat Club, just south of Fremont, at their regular meeting Wednesday morning.
The strip club is being sold by Calburt Sheets, who is waiting on sentencing May 7 on a felony drug-related conviction. His attorney Nick Boggy of Fremont said the conviction disqualifies Sheets from holding a liquor license.
KPKK LLC, a Fremont corporation that lists attorney Leo Eskey as the registered agent, is buying the club. Corporation papers included with the liquor license application lists Kelli Patocka and Kurt Kruse as the corporate board members. Patocka is listed as the corporation’s president.
However, a $5,000 check written to Lariat Inc. on Feb. 8 that Eskey called a down payment on the business was written on Kruse’s personal checking account with an Omaha bank.
Kruse said Patocka is his girlfriend, adding that they’ve known each other for seven years. Kruse also said that he has known Sheets for eight or 10 years.
On the application, Patocka lists an Omaha address. Kruse lists a Council Bluffs, Iowa, address.
The proposed buyers of the club are seeking a Class B license for sale of beer that customers can take away from the club and a Class I license for beer, wine and liquor that must be consumed in the club.
Supervisor Paul Marsh questioned the finances of the corporation.
“The (liquor license) application requires any borrowed money to be shown,” he said. “I don’t see any.”
Dodge County Attorney Paul Vaughan said the only financial contributions listed on the application was $100 cash that was split between Patocka and Kruse.
“These applications are transparent for a reason,” Marsh said. “The liquor industry is very controlled. This isn’t the first liquor license application that many of us have seen.”
The copy of the down payment check was not included with the application. Supervisors directed Kruse to get them a copy of the check before the end of the meeting.
Marsh also asked if Patocka would be available whenever the club is open since she’s listed as the corporate president and club’s manager. Kruse said either she or he would be at the club whenever it is open.
Kruse said Patocka was not able to attend the public hear Wednesday.
Information on the application states that she has been employed at an Omaha cleaner for the past 17 years. Kruse said she still works there.
While KPKK LLC is buying The Lariat Club, Sheets will remain the owner of the building at 2200 Proctor Road.
Supervisors approved the liquor license application by a 4-2 vote. Rob George and Marsh voted against it. Dean Lux was absent.
In another matter, supervisors voted to recommend a manager application for Iris Estrada, who will be the manager of Marina’s Club Restaurant, at least temporarily.
Supervisors tabled discussion on April 11 to allow Estrada or a representative to answer questions for supervisors. Estrada was at the meeting Wednesday along with restaurant owner Lucia Aleman, Aleman’s daughter Stephanie and building owner Steven Ruda.
Marsh said he had questions that only Estrada could answer.
The application lists her employer as Hormel, and Marsh asked if she expected to quit that job.
Using Aleman’s daughter as a translator, the El Salvador native said she was not planning to leave Hormel.
An attempt to get a Class I liquor license using Aleman as the manager failed with the Nebraska Liquor Commission because she is still in the process of becoming a United States citizen. Ruda said she was notified that a backlog has delayed that action until later in the summer.
Supervisors stressed that with Estrada listed as the manager she could not be at Hormel during the open hours of the bar. The restaurant could still serve food.
Aleman said she will work around Estrada’s schedule to make sure the bar isn’t open when she can’t be there.
Estrada said she works at Hormel during the week from 6 a.m. until noon.
In voting to recommend the application, supervisors stressed that Aleman will have to have someone at the bar who can read and speak English.
Marina’s Club Restaurant, 7026 W. Highway 30 near Ames, is the former location of Los Compadres Restaurant & Bar.
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