South Corbin restaurant raided; owner and employees arrested for drug and alcohol violations

A south Corbin restaurant was forced to close after police raided it Thursday afternoon, arresting the owner and four employees on various drug and alcohol-related charges.

According to Corbin Police Capt. Rob Jones, authorities had received numerous complaints about illegal activity at Ryno’s Bar and Grill in recent weeks. Officers from the department and the Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control descended on the restaurant at around 4:00 p.m. , and what they discovered was even worse than they had imagined.

"Everything was just wild in there today. It was like an old west bar," Jones said. "They were just drinking and having a good time. Nobody was eating anything. It was a straight up bar."

In 2003, Corbin voters approved a referendum that allowed qualifying restaurants to serve alcohol by the drink. Establishments that chose to sell alcohol must have 70 percent of their gross receipts in food. Jones said Thursday there were eight patrons at Ryno’s when police arrived, all sitting at the bar drinking with no food in sight.

"There was one customer behind the bar getting himself a beer right out of the tap," Jones said. "You just can’t do that."

Ryno’s Owner Jonathan Ryan Centers, 26, of Corbin, was arrested by ABC Enforcement Officer Ray Roberts and charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, maintaining a disorderly premises and for selling alcohol purchased from unauthorized dealers. Jones said Budweiser had recently pulled its taps and took its stock of beer from Ryno’s because Centers owed the distributor $3,100. He said Centers had records where he had sent employees to Richmond to purchase alcohol to sell, a violation because it doesn’t allow government agencies to accurately track how much alcohol is purchased for taxing and enforcement purposes.

Authorities say they found methamphetamine in a filing cabinet in Centers office, and a light bulb in the office used to smoke drugs. Centers told police had had confiscated the meth from an employee he caught with it.

Also arrested were:

* Billy Denham, 39, of Corbin, a kitchen worker on whom police found prescription narcotics. Police say he tried to flush the pills down a toilet when they arrived. He is charged with possession of a controlled substance and tampering with physical evidence.

* Anthony Barhill, a bartender charged with public intoxication.

* Anna Meeler, 29, of Corbin, a waitress charged with possession of marijuana.

* Michelle Jones, 26, of Corbin, a waitress charged with DUI and possession of marijuana.

Jones said there was very little food at all on the premises and that Centers told them a truck was due to deliver food soon.

Just before Corbin Police arrived, a Whitley County Sheriff’s Deputy had served restaurant management with an eviction notice. Jones said Centers told police he had a deal to rent the former Sizzlin’ Roadhouse building, just down Cumberland Falls Hwy.

Jones said Corbin Alcoholic Beverage Control Officer Bruce Rains made the decision to force closure of the restaurant. He added it would not be allowed to reopen, most likely, until criminal charges against the owner were cleared up.

An investigation into the case is continuing by Rains and the Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.