Club will keep license despite deaths

PARKVILLE, Md. - Sue Lovell came out to the liquor board hearing on Monday, pointing to problems in her Parkville neighborhood like a bullet hole in a home.

"My concern then is for stray bullets," said Lovell.    

She says the riff raff starts at Tee Bee's Place.

"When cars are parked in front of homes, when all of this violence goes on outside, when semi-automatic weapons are fired.  We're not talking anything about the community," said Lovell to Tee Bee’s owner Rodney Barnes.    

"They live in the neighborhood.  That's not on Tee Bee’s," said Barnes.    

The back and forth went on in front of the Baltimore County Liquor Board following two killings this summer.  The first victim was shot in the parking lot.

"The victim and the victim's companion had been in the bar.  They had just walked outside of the bar," a county police officer testified.    

Inside on September 1, Tavares Jones, a security guard, was stabbed to death while breaking up a fight.  Neighbors point every finger at Tee Bee's customers.

They live right across the street from the business on Darlington Dr. and say gunshots and stabbings are only part of the problem.  There's fighting and people taking over their property. 

"They said well can't we just sit on your porch.  They're sitting on their furniture.  And he said well you can go sit on the curb and wait for your ride," said Lovell.    

Barnes says he has security cameras inside, but they weren't working the night Jones died.  He says he fixed the problem and is working on upgrades.

"I've talked to several security firms and off-duty police.  So we'll be making that decision ASAP."

In the end, a $2,000 fine for Tee Bee's and Barnes can keep his license.

“We just talked to the community, and we're going to do everything that we can to avoid any problems occurring at Tee Bee's again," said Barnes.    

"We'll just have to wait and see," said Lovell.    

There was a warning from the chairman of the liquor board: another violent act and the license could be suspended or taken away.  Some neighbors aren't sitting back and accepting the ruling.  They plan to petition the leasing company for Tee Bee’s Place.