Bad bars: Indianapolis strip club closes after police raid

An Indianapolis strip club with a troubled history abruptly shut down Tuesday after a police raid last week that led to the arrest of several workers on drug, alcohol, gun and prostitution charges.

Club Onyx Indianapolis, located at 4444 S. Harding St., announced the closure via Instagram. The announcement came less than a week before the club, which a co-owner said attracted about 100,000 visitors a year, was scheduled for a liquor license renewal hearing.

The club's social media post did not provide an explanation for the closure to social media followers and customers caught off guard by the announcement. The co-owner told IndyStar the decision came after the club received violation citations from the Indiana Alcohol & Tobacco Commission.

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Charging documents in the criminal cases allege that two dancers engaged in public nudity and offered to have sex with undercover officers in exchange for money during multiple visits to the bar in January and February.

Police also say a bathroom attendant was dealing drugs and selling bottles of Hennessy after hours from a stash hidden under the garbage bag in the women's restroom trash can. A fourth woman was found in the bathroom with a bag containing a jar of marijuana, police say. They also located a stolen gun in her locker, according to charging documents.

In a phone interview Tuesday night, one of the club's owners, Charles G. "Jerry" Westlund Jr., said the club received notice of the ATC violations Monday.

"IMPD had voiced some concerns and we want to be good corporate neighbors," he said. "We are evaluating how we can best operate there in the best interest of the community."

He said he was only aware of one of the club's workers ― the bathroom attendant ― being charged with a crime.

"I don't know of anybody else, but maybe there is. I'm just not aware of that," he said. He then joked that the bathroom "would be a pretty tough place to sell a drink, don't you think?"

"I'm not sure how the bar was involved in that," he said, "I'm pretty confident they weren't."

According to a police affidavit, it was one of the club's bartenders who ― in exchange for a tip ― directed the undercover detective to the bathroom attendant for after-hours alcohol.

"Obviously there's issues involving our operation and the last thing we want to ever do is be a bad neighbor, so we are going to aggressively address any of those issues," Westlund told IndyStar.

"Illegal activity is illegal activity," he added. "It should never take place on any property, certainly not ours. And I would hope that anybody who does anything wrong, gets prosecuted for it."

He said the club's closure resulted in termination notices for 85 employees. That doesn't include dancers, who are considered independent contractors.

"It's actually a very sad day," Westlund said. "Whether you're a customer of our club or not, or whether you like our type of entertainment, those are 85 people who fed their families there."

In all, the club catered to about 100,000 visitors annually, he said. "It has been a very busy and successful club."

IMPD appears to have targeted Club Onyx after several shootings that detectives have said were tied to the club.

In December 2021, an early morning shooting on Interstate 465 left one man dead and another injured. Police arrested three men who they say followed the victims after a rap battle at the club. One of the men has been convicted. Cases against the other two men are pending.

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Then in March 2022, a shootout in the club’s parking lot left two men wounded. One of them faces a count of felony battery with a deadly weapon, among other charges.

The violence was among more than 200 reported shootings and 49 homicides connected to about 80 Indianapolis bars, clubs and event centers since 2016, according to an IndyStar analysis of police reports. The analysis was part of an investigation, produced in partnership with Fox59, that explored how lax oversight, understaffing and poor enforcement by the state Alcohol & Tobacco Commission has allowed violence at alcohol establishments to fester.

Since the investigation began, at least five bars and clubs with troubled histories have closed or been shut down.

Tiki Bob’s Cantina, a Downtown bar featured in IndyStar's investigation, closed after a Feb. 5 shooting. Like Club Onyx, it was in the process of renewing its liquor license when its owners announced the closure on social media.

Taps & Dolls, another Downtown bar with a lengthy history of problems, closed in August after an IndyStar story about the overdose deaths of two women who had been partying at the club and neighboring Tiki Bob's.

Club Onyx was scheduled to appear for a license renewal hearing on March 6. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department planned to oppose the renewal.

It is unclear if the hearing will still go forward. IndyStar left messages for the strip club's attorney and a spokeswoman for the Alcohol & Tobacco Commission, but did not immediately receive responses.

State licensing records show Westlund also owns several other Indiana strip clubs, including The Pony and Jiggles in Indianapolis and Jaguars in Lawrence.

Club Onyx is a national chain that operates locations in Houston and Phoenix and licenses clubs in Indianapolis and St. Louis, according to its website. The post bills them as the "Nation's No. 1 Hip Hop Strip Club." The brand is owned by RCI Hospitality Holdings, which operates adult entertainment clubs across the nation.

Contact IndyStar reporter Alexandria Burris at aburris@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @allyburris.

Contact IndyStar reporter Tony Cook at 317-444-6081 or tony.cook@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @IndyStarTony.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Club Onyx, a troubled Indianapolis strip club, announces closure