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Comment By TERESA BESKOW MailTribune.com By TERESA BESKOW Posted Apr. 16, 2009 at 12:01 AM By TERESA BESKOW Posted Apr. 16, 2009 at 12:01 AM » Social News A Medford nightclub could lose its liquor license because of persistent fights, quarrels and assaults outside the bar. Club Oxygen, at the corner of Main Street and Riverside Avenue, has been issued a notice of violation by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission based on the club's "history of serious and persistent problems," said Katie Hilton, OLCC regional manager. The notice informed Oxygen owner Paul Hewitt that a report of the club's violations had been sent to Portland to be reviewed by an administrative board. If it finds cause, it will send Hewitt a letter detailing the incidents and offering him three options: lose his liquor license, change ownership of the club or undergo an administrative hearing. The OLCC did not release the exact number and location of the incidents because the investigation is still under way. "We have created no more or no less problems than any other bar in town," said Hewitt. "The whole thing is bogus. "We will never close — period, end of story," he said. "We will have a very large, large fight." The majority of the problems were altercations, fights and assaults, according to police reports and OLCC staff observations, Hilton said. "This is the worst there's been," said Medford Police Sgt. Greg Lemhouse. "It has taken up a great deal of our resources to deal with that bar." Hilton said the OLCC received a stack of more than 100 police reports in connection with Oxygen, but only the more serious offenses are under review. It is based not on the number of incidents, but on the type of incident, how frequent and how serious, Hilton said. The incidents occurred between Nov. 1, 2008, and the end of March. "The club was not a problem for us until last fall, until popularity went up and patron level went up," said Hilton. At peak capacity on a Friday or Saturday night, Hewitt said the bar holds nearly 400 people including staff. Some 650 people go in and out of the bar on a regular night. "The large number of people means that there will be more of these incidents, but it can be managed," said Lemhouse. Hewitt contends that Oxygen is blamed for many issues that are out of its control, and that other bars are not as strictly monitored. Middleford Alley, which runs along the back side of Oxygen, provides pedestrians access to the parking structure and is the site of many of the fights. "Everything outside the building is blamed on us," Hewitt said. "Every patron from every bar has to walk through there to get to the parking structure." Lemhouse said that all incidents are thoroughly investigated to see where the people involved had been that night. "Medford Police Department has no interest in picking on any establishment," Lemhouse said. "We're only responding to the incidents that are created." Hilton said Hewitt will have an opportunity to challenge the incidents before an impartial administrative judge if that is the option he chooses. "We've done everything they've ever asked us to," Hewitt said. "We are a very reputable establishment." Reach Southern Oregon University intern Teresa Beskow at 776-4464 or at [email protected]. By TERESA BESKOW MailTribune.com By TERESA BESKOW Posted Apr. 16, 2009 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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