John Bogna
Harris County has closed down Insomnia Lounge, a Westwood bar located in southwest Houston, for numerous offenses, including the lack of a valid liquor license. A temporary restraining order against the bar was issued on Friday.
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Two plainclothes police officers bought drinks from Insomnia, then cleared the place out and arrested the manager, along with two bartenders. Insomnia bills itself as an after-hour lounge, opening at 1 a.m. and keeping the party going until 6 a.m.
A release from the Harris County Attorney’s Office paints the place as a hotbed of criminal activity, stating that it was “notorious for violent crimes, including assaults, drug dealing, weapons disturbances and human trafficking.” This is the second after-hours club to be shut down in Houston recently, according to the Houston Press. Both were served a restraining order and slapped with a lawsuit.
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Rosemarie Donnelly, an assistant county attorney, said “these lawsuits is to make it harder for another after-hours venue to open in that same location, and to make sure owners seeking to avoid prosecution are still held accountable.”
“[The business owners are] not being arrested, they’re not being prosecuted criminally, but they’re continuing illegal activities. They’re turning a blind eye or they’re actually profiting from it.” said Donnelly.
