The St. Mary’s County Alcohol Beverage Board held a meeting Thursday Sept. 10, spending over two hours sorting out multiple violations for Butler’s Place. The bar located off Rt. 235 had two of the four charges dismissed. At the meeting, owner, Rufus I. Butler was represented by an attorney.
The charges upheld were for conduct contrary to the peace and safety of the community. The June 28 incident arose after Cpl. Handy arrested Sheila Juanita Somerville on multiple warrants in the Butler’s Place parking lot. The crowd present became aggressive, making the officer fear for his safety. Handy said, “I thought I was going to get jumped.” Handy added that the crowd grew to 100-plus and multiple deputies were called to the scene.
The responding deputies used pepper spray in an effort to disburse the crowd. Officers testified that the crowd was throwing bottles, rocks and shouting racial slurs at them. Alcohol Enforcement Coordinator DFC James Stone remarked, “owner and staff assistance often prevents this type of incident.” Stone said as the only employee, Mr. Butler was not capable of supplying sufficient security to handle the crowds there that night.
The second violation stemmed from a June 29 report of a shooting in the Butler’s Place parking lot. The responding deputy stated he was initially told by Butler that patrons had set off fireworks, prompting him and other officers to leave the scene.
After a call announced that a shooting victim had surfaced at St. Mary’s Hospital, the deputies returned to the bar to put up tape and controlled the scene. Officers found seven shell casings of multiple calibers in the area. Deputy Melissa Green explained that the victim had been “shot one time on the left side, one inch away from his genitals.” The victim confirmed the shooting took place in Butler’s parking lot.
Butler has held a liquor license for 24 years and admits that arrests have been made inside and outside of his bar. He stated that he “would never try to mislead a police officer” and was only sharing what he was told the night of the shooting. Butler said that while he has no established employees, he relies on friends and family that volunteer to help with his business.
One friend, Joseph Taylor, said he has been voluntarily maintaining the parking lot and enforcing laws. Taylor commented, “It looked like [Butler] was being railroaded, so I offered to help him.” When ABB Vice Chairman Thomas Sacks asked him to explain his remarks, Butler’s lawyer quickly told him not to answer and said, “Leave it alone.”
Board attorney Joann Wood said, “He needs to know what’s going on outside his bar. It’s his job to control his premises.” Several members of the sheriff’s office that testified recalled past problems with assault, shootings and drug deals at the bar and said they do consider Butler’s Place to be a threat to the safety and security of the community. Butler’s attorney suggested such incidents are a rare occurrence and said, “It was a very, very unfortun
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