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The Alcoholic Beverage Board of Marion County voted Monday to deny the renewal of a liquor license for the Patron Saint, a downtown nightclub that faced criticism from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department after a bouncer was accused of shooting two people and an underaged customer was welcomed at the 21-and-older establishment.
Board members voted 2-1, citing public nuisance and allowing criminal acts as the reasons for denying the renewal.
IMPD Det. Tiffany Harrison spoke during the monthly board meeting, highlighting the Sept. 5, 2025, double shooting outside the Patron Saint, 250 S. Meridian St., and a fight eight days later that involved a 20-year-old woman inside the nightclub.
The recommendation for the Patron Saint and its sibling business, the Saint Shack, now heads to the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission for a final decision.
Slater Hogan, who owns the Patron Saint and Saint Shack with business partners John Larner and Brandy Allen-Harveth, said the ownership group plans to appeal the denial.
“We would like to thank the Local Board for their consideration and we intend to follow the process and appeal the board’s decision with the State ATC,” Hogan wrote in an email sent to IBJ.
More than 75 minutes of Monday’s 5-hour hearing were devoted to a discussion of the Patron Saint, which opened in 2018 as a below-ground bar devoted to the performance of electronic dance music. The Saint Shack opened as a street-level restaurant and bar in 2021.
The Patron Saint bouncer accused of shooting two women outside the nightclub was on federal probation for a firearms charge at the time, according to testimony during Monday’s meeting. The women both required hospital treatment for bullet wounds.
The nightclub’s owners said they executed no background checks before hiring the bouncer.
According to testimony during the meeting, the shooting happened after an argument related to whether a $10 cover charge was required to enter the Patron Saint. The nightclub’s owners said no cover charge was in place on the night of the incident, but the bouncer asked the women to pay.
On Sept. 13, 2025, a different bouncer ushered a 20-year-old woman into the Patron Saint. According to testimony during Monday’s hearing, the woman instigated a fight inside the Saint Shack before she entered the Patron Saint. Excise police subsequently cited the nightclub for furnishing alcohol to a minor.
In January, the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission assessed penalties related to the double shooting and the underage customer.
The Patron Saint and Saint Shack were closed during a pair of three-day weekend suspensions, and the owners paid a $2,000 civil penalty.
When arguing to deny the renewal of the Patron Saint’s liquor license, board member and Indiana State Excise Police Master Officer Ami Sunier said the owners failed to manage their security staff.
“Because of negligence, they employed a violent felon to operate their front door,” Sunier said. “I cannot get past that. Then we add the minor who caused a big fight. That fight and the police response were definitely a direct result of a minor being allowed in there.”
Co-owner Larner said the Patron Saint made poor hiring decisions and has since pursued a corrective action plan endorsed by the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission.
He said the 180-capacity nightclub’s stature as a venue that hosts performances by touring DJs and producers is worth preserving.
“What we’ve brought downtown is something that all of us have worked toward, and we think it brings a lot to the city,” Larner said during the meeting. “When we’re trying to get conventions, country music is great but when you have something on an international stage they want to go hear the type of music we play.”
The board also voted to deny the renewal of a liquor license associated with former strip club Harem House, 8501 Pendleton Pike. Board members cited public nuisance when casting their votes.
The Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission is scheduled to consider the denials of the Patron Saint and Harem House license renewals during a June 16 meeting.
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