The Marion County Alcoholic Beverage Board voted Monday to deny renewal of the Patron Saint’s liquor license, throwing the downtown nightclub’s alcohol service into limbo while the owners prepare an appeal. The 2-1 decision followed a lengthy, often tense hearing that repeatedly zeroed in on security breakdowns and a string of violent incidents at the 180-capacity venue. Owners say they are not giving up and will challenge the ruling at the state level in the coming weeks.
According to Indianapolis Business Journal, board members cited “public nuisance” concerns and the allowance of criminal acts when they cast their votes. The outlet reported that more than 75 minutes of the five-hour meeting were devoted to the Patron Saint and its street-level sibling, the Saint Shack. The local board also voted to deny the renewal tied to Harem House at 8501 Pendleton Pike.
Police testimony and meeting record
The city’s archived meeting video documents Indianapolis Metropolitan Police testimony that spotlighted a Sept. 5, 2025, double shooting outside the Patron Saint and a related fight days later, according to the Marion County meeting video. Testimony said the bouncer accused of shooting two women was on federal probation at the time and that both victims needed hospital treatment. Board members said on the record that they were troubled by the owners’ failure to conduct background checks or adequately supervise door staff.
Owners plan appeal, say they took corrective steps
As reported by The Indiana Lawyer, owner Slater Hogan said the ownership group plans to appeal the local board’s decision to the state Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. Co-owner John Larner told the board the club has followed a corrective action plan endorsed by the state agency and defended the Patron Saint’s role as a touring-DJ venue that helps draw crowds and dollars downtown. The owners acknowledged hiring mistakes but argued the club still delivers cultural and economic value for Indianapolis.
State penalties preceded the hearing
Indianapolis Business Journal reported that the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission imposed penalties in January, temporarily shutting down the Patron Saint and Saint Shack for a pair of three-day weekend suspensions and levying a $2,000 civil fine. According to the outlet, those sanctions followed excise police citations for furnishing alcohol to a minor and the September shooting incident. During the hearing, board member Ami Sunier said the accumulated incidents showed a failure to manage security staff and justified denying the renewal.
What happens next
The local board’s recommendation now heads to the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, which is scheduled to consider the Patron Saint and Harem House license denials at a June 16 meeting, The Indiana Lawyer reports. If the ATC backs the denial, the owners could be staring at a prolonged appeals process that would ripple through both venues’ operations. Hogan and his partners have said they will follow the appeal path and continue pressing their corrective plan before the state.
Legal implications
Local denials of this kind are a serious regulatory step but not necessarily the final word: the state ATC can affirm, modify or reverse a local board’s recommendation, and either side can seek judicial review after that. The Marion County meeting record shows regulators weighing a pattern of incidents, including allowing an underage customer and a violent episode outside the club, as grounds for public-safety concerns that can lead to license restrictions. The final outcome now hinges on the ATC’s upcoming hearing and whether regulators decide the owners’ corrective efforts are enough to offset that history.
