The Riley County Health Department announced Saturday that Dirty Dawg Saloon, located in Aggieville, has been forced to close after the establishment had multiple violations of the most recent local health order.
Violations were obtained by Riley County Police Department body camera footage, and included overcrowding, open dance floors and staying open past midnight. The closure went into effect at 10 a.m. Saturday and will remain in effect until the bar’s owner, Jeffery Hawkinson, takes action to comply with Local Health Order No. 18. Riley County District Judge Grant Bannister granted the county’s application for a temporary restraining order against the bar.
The Judge’s order requires the dance floor to be closed and customers must be prohibited from drinking unless seated at tables. The business must also comply with the City of Manhattan’s face mask mandate.
Court documents show the violations occurred Oct. 30, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. In addition to body camera footage from RCPD, the health department claims multiple complying businesses have complained to Local Health Officer Julie Gibbs, thus prompting the quick action to keep complying businesses from reducing or eliminating their own efforts to comply and jeopardize public health.
The case is set for a 10 a.m. temporary injunction hearing Nov. 17.
