Applicant of Remedy’s Bar appeals liquor license denial due to alleged ties to motorcycle club
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Tue, 04/02/2024 - 11:50am
The applicant for the reinstatement of a liquor license for Remedy’s Bar in Carson City, Mary Sellars, is appealing the denial of the license to the Carson City Board of Supervisors this Thursday.
The bar has been closed since Oct. 5, 2023 after a show-cause hearing determined Remedy’s had been operating without a liquor manager and a valid business license.
The bar was contacted multiple times, and in early August, Sellars visited the Business License Division and identified herself as the new owner of Remedy’s and stated she would complete applications for a business license and liquor license and return the next day, but never came back.
During the show-cause hearing, Sellars said the owner of the bar, Michelle Rodriguez, had become overwhelmed by managing the bar and that neither she nor Sellars understood the urgency of needing to get the paperwork filed.
Supervisors voted unanimously to close the bar until a liquor manager could be approved.
According to the staff report, during the course of the liquor manager application process, the Carson City Sheriff’s Office did not recommend approval of the liquor license after it was determined that Sellars’ husband is associated with the Vagos Motorcycle Club, and that the bar is a “hangout” for the club.
“Over the years this business location has had its fair share of incidents including fights and battery,” a representative for the Sheriff’s Office wrote in their recommendation for denial. “The most recent incident occurred on July 15, 2023, which involved a patron and a person recognized as being associated with the Vagos Motorcycle Club. The bar is and has been reported as being a hangout for Vagos Motorcycle Club members and the bar displays the club’s stickers and hosts Vagos events. In addition, Mary Sellars’ husband Mike Sellars and his brother are known to be associated with the Vagos Motorcycle Club.”
The owner of the property, Sherrie Faber, along with her husband Dane Faber, opposed the issuance of liquor license in a letter sent to the board in November 2023, due to “numerous violations of other lease obligations, complaints from other tenants, and the Carson City Sheriff Dept., concerning the operation of the bar and as expressed to us … It is our understanding that the Board had previously denied Mr. Sellars (Michael) a license. It is obvious that having his own wife make an application for a new license is a transparent attempt to circumvent a previous determination of non-qualification and denial of their application.”
According to the report, Sellars stated that her husband has no vested interest in the property, but it was determined that Mike Sellars has been listed as a member or managing members for Remedy’s LLC on the Secretary of State filings, and has held the lease for the property “at varying times for many years,” including in December 2023 while the application was processing. After being questioned, Sellars admitted that the lease was in the names of Rodriquez and Mike Sellars, and that Sellars herself was not on the lease.
During a February follow-up, Sellars verified she had been added to the lease along with Mike Sellars.
Previously, the Sheriff’s Office recommended approval pending the result of Sellars’ FBI fingerprinting background check. While it was determined that Sellars has no criminal history in Nevada, the Sheriff’s Office recommended denying the liquor license after it was determined that Sellars has associations with the motorcycle club.
Sellars attorney stated that sheriff’s decision to withdraw his recommendation or approval “appears to be arbitrary and capricious in light of the fingerprint report indicating Ms. Sellars had no criminal history.”
The Liquor Board Hearing Officer denied the application based on the findings from the Sheriff’s Office in February 2024. An appeal was filed soon after, and will be heard Thursday before the Board of Supervisors.
