Crime & Safety

Liquor Store Gets New Owners After Pot Bust

The store had its liquor license suspended after a clerk was caught selling marijuana on the job.

New owners have taken over the liquor store that after an employee was busted for selling marijuana over the counter earlier this year.

The new owners--relatives of former owner Sam Khalil, whose son Souhiel "Johnny" Khalil --applied for a new liquor license last week, city records show.

Police Chief Jim Hunt said the fact that the new owners, Michel and Annette Khalil, are related to the previous owners has no bearing on the status of their license application.

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"We can't hold the new owners responsible for the actions of the old ones even though they're a family member," Hunt said.

Kelly Dib, the new manager of House of Spirits, said in an interview that Johnny Khalil no longer works for the store. He said the store was being remodeled and that he was hired to "clean up the place."

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"We're trying to change the atmosphere around here," Dib said, adding that the store was going to be catering to a "higher end" clientele.

The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control said Johnny Khalil was caught selling marijuana to undercover investigators on three separate occasions and arrested him in February. In May, he was convicted of one count of unlawfully selling a controlled substance, court records show.

The store had its license suspended in June for 25 days. A condition of the suspension required the owners to transfer the store's license to new owners within 180 days, according to a neighborhood watch report.

Hunt said two separate background checks by ABC and the police department found nothing that would prevent the new store owners from obtaining a new license. A city council agenda report authored by Hunt recommends that the new application for a liquor license be accepted.


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