The owners of Paddy's Pub will be asked to appear before the Nye County Liquor and Licensing Board to answer concerns over repeated police calls.

"What we have discovered is a disturbing pattern with Paddy's," Sheriff Tony DeMeo told Nye County commissioners Tuesday, who also sit as the licensing and liquor authority.

DeMeo detailed more than 50 incidents of assault and battery at the pub in the past year, 11 involving weapons.

A report by Nye County Sheriff's Capt. Bill Becht lists 20 fights at the pub from January through Dec. 15, as opposed to only four at Champion's Sports Bar, three at Mountain View Casino, one at Our Bar and none at four other establishments: Irene's, Eve n' Keel, Valley Bar and Tumbleweed Tavern.

Nye County sheriffs reported 19 disturbances in 2007 at Paddy's, seven next door at Mountain View Casino, four at Champion's Sports Bar, three at Irene's, two at Our Bar, one apiece at Tumbleweed Tavern and Valley Bar, none at the Eve N'Keel.

Becht's wrote, "These staggering differences in these statistics defy a mere anomaly. After review I believe that the biggest factor in these calls is the lack of recognition and continued service of intoxicated persons."

Becht commended the staff at Paddy's Pub for notifying the sheriff's office when a problem occurs, but said pre-emptive measures would be better. He requested the liquor and licensing board to take corrective action, and the liquor board debated what that meant.

Nye County Commissioner Joni Eastley asked DeMeo if he wanted the owner to appear at a show cause hearing to revoke the license.

"That is a course we can go. We've had deputies at that location at problem times. I would suggest they be responsible for their establishment. We've seen the trend before with Sullivan's," DeMeo said.

The board approved the liquor license for Paddy's Pub licensee Pat Rogers Dec. 5, 2006.

Paddy's Pub General Manager Russ Rogers said he was blindsided by the news. "I feel like somebody killed my kids," he said.

Rogers said he's been trying to clean up the establishment. "When we took over Sullivan's, there were four or five fights in that place. That's why we had to change the name. I had people come up to me every night and say, 'I'm glad you cleaned this place up.'" Rogers said. "I'm trying to be proactive. If there's anywhere in my pub you fight and you're ignorant, you will be 86ed,"

Rogers said he's been trying to be a good citizen by reporting any fights to the sheriff's department. It costs him money when fights break out, he said.

"I don't have my security guards go out and beat the tar out of people. I could have that happen. I could say take them out the back and nobody will ever know. We are trying to do everything by the rule," Rogers said.

Among the actions taken to combat fights, Rogers said Paddy's Pub requires customers to get a hand stamp to enter the bar. There's a list of rules in the men's room for customers to see. There's a dress code banning "wife beater" tank tops, where people show tattoos.

Rogers said Paddy's Pub also does more business, thus they may have more fights.

"I'm not a small, neighborhood bar that serves five to 10 people a night. We get a pretty healthy crowd. In the last year we have weeded out a lot of bad apples," Rogers said.

The sheriff, in response to Eastley's inquiry, said he has the ability to close a business, but said it would obviously be an economic loss to a license holder. The only corrective action Becht mentioned in his letter would be for the owner to show why their license shouldn't be suspended or revoked, DeMeo said.

Earlier this year, the board suspended the license of the Club House Saloon in Tonopah for a few days after a bartender came to work drunk. The Eagle's Nest Lounge in Pahrump was closed by state health inspectors March 29 for a septic failure; it reopened later.

Becht left it up to the liquor board to decide about Paddy's Pub.

"It's whatever what they deem appropriate. It doesn't really matter to me," Becht said. "It may be something as simple as sending them a letter saying 'Dude, clean your act up.'"

ARES Ham Radio class

The Amateur Radio Emergency Services is offering an introduction to Ham Radio via a ham cram class being offered starting at 8 a.m., Jan. 19, 1510 Siri Lane.

The class is for technician license only. A photo ID or two non-photo forms of identification and $14 to take the test which begins at 1 p.m.

Bring a lunch as a lunch break will occur around noon.

Call Jerry at 727-9524 or Steve at 513-8632 for study materials and more information.