The Ballpark Tavern will remain closed through mid-July.
At a hearing in the Bucks County Justice Center on Tuesday, a continuance was granted to postpone a formal hearing on the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement’s attempt to close what they tagged a “nuisance” bar.
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The next hearing is scheduled for July 17.
Until that time, the bar and strip club in the 7200 block of Route 13 in Bristol Township’s Levittown is to remain closed after a county Judge Robert Mellon signed off on an injunction to temporarily close the establishment last Friday following problems that were documented by authorities.
In a statement issued on Monday, state police said local and state agencies “documented a pattern of illegal and irresponsible behavior from the operators of Ballpark Tavern, its employees, and patrons.”
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“Beyond repeated violations of the liquor code, we uncovered instances of public drunkenness, prostitution, and overdoses that were negatively affecting people and other businesses in the area,” Major Scott T. Miller, director of the state police’s Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, said in the statement.
The sheriff’s office was on the scene last Friday to shutdown the business following the judge’s order.
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“This is a quality of life issue,” Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub said Monday. “Closing down the Ballpark Tavern is an important step toward protecting the people in this community and cleaning up the area.”
Bristol Township police and state park rangers have been summoned to the Ballpark Tavern and the area surrounding it for calls over the years. A 2015 investigation that used undercover law enforcement uncovered allegations of prostitution.
