Police: 1,200 bottles of alcohol found at Indy home operating as illegal night club
Residents of a west side neighborhood are resting easier after an illegal night club, operating out of a home, was shut down by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department on Friday.
The single-family house was operating as an after-hours club for patrons of legal bars after the establishments closed at 3 a.m. on the weekend, said Capt. William Carter of IMPD’s commercial crimes division.
Police had been called to the home, in the 3057 Lupine Drive, more than 40 times in 2023 for reports of large crowds, disturbances, people urinating outside and shots fired. Neighbors began to anticipate being kept up between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. on the weekends and were relieved when the activity didn’t take place this past weekend, Carter said.
“People should never be a prisoner in their own home because someone is operating an illegal night club,” Carter said.
More: 49 killed, 154 shot or stabbed: How Indiana law protects bad bars
On Monday afternoon, the neighborhood of single-family homes just north of Speedway was quiet. Nathan Alvaraeo, who lives next door to the home targeted by police, said he had been woken up by loud music in the early morning hours and heard gunshots in the area at night previously.
IMPD as well as the Indianapolis Alcohol Task Force served a warrant at the Lupine Drive home. Investigators found about 1,200 bottles of alcohol along with drugs, cash, and documents supporting nightclub operation, according to IMPD.
Arrests and charges in connection with the illegal nightclub are pending as the investigation continues. Those involved in the operation could face charges for not collecting taxes on the alcohol sales as well as maintaining a common nuisance charges, Carter said.
Efforts to reach the residents of the home, where the warrant was served on Lupine Drive, were unsuccessful before publication of this article.
Property records show the home has been owned by a corporation called SLB ASSETS IX LLC since 2020. Efforts to reach the owners of the corporation were also unsuccessful before publication of this article.
Illegal after-hours clubs normally operate in commercial buildings in the city, but police are investigating at least two other residences where these clubs are suspected to be operating. Investigators need residents to help keep the peace in their neighborhoods when it comes to this type of activity, Carter said.
“We rely on the neighbors to call us,” Carter said.
Anyone with any information related to the Lupine Drive home is asked to contact Det. Tiffany Mastin at the IMPD Nuisance and Abatement Office at 317-327-6169 or Tiffany.Mastin@indy.gov. Those with information can also contact Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477 to remain anonymous.
Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis police shut down illegal night club operating out of home
