Owner of Mike’s Side Pocket surrenders liquor license

Posted on by Bill Rhodes

Photo of Mike’s Side Pocket owner Betty King Cook speaking with police officers last night shortly after the knife attack which killed three. Photo By Zen Sutherland

This afternoon the owner of Mike’s Side Pocket, Betty King Cook, surrendered her liquor license to state authorities. According to D.J. Hales, supervisor of NC State Alcohol Law Enforcement here in Asheville, many times when serious incidents happen permittees surrender their license.

This leaves the future of the Haywood Road bar in question for the foreseeable future. Over the years there have been a number of people who had permits at 375 Haywood Road, the state Alcohol Beverage Control Commission shows five on their website which has been updated with today’s information.

A spokesperson for the state ABC Commission, says in an email “While businesses do surrender permits for a variety of reasons, it is not necessarily customary for businesses to turn in ABC permits after a violent incident. Ms. Betty King Cook applied for permits April 7, 2010.  Permanent permits were granted on November 21, 2011. There are no complaints or violation reports in the file.”

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

One thought on “Owner of Mike’s Side Pocket surrenders liquor license”

Leave a Reply to bill smith ×

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.