Downtown nightclub in trouble again

A downtown Colorado Springs nightclub that lost its liquor license last year after several women bared their breasts during a rowdy “Girls Gone Wild” filming is in trouble again.

The owners of Syn Nightclub, 217 E. Pikes Peak Ave., formerly known as 13 Pure, have been summoned to appear before the city’s liquor board Friday for allegedly serving alcohol to three underage male customers Jan. 3.

Two of the customers were 17 at the time, and the third was 20.

The three men were seen leaving the club by Colorado Springs Police Department gang officers assigned to patrol the area after a shooting outside the club the weekend before.

The three men walked to a car parked nearby and “grabbed an item from the trunk” before heading back toward the club, according to a police report.

“The officers attempted to contact the male that had concealed the item in his jacket,” the report said. “As they did, the male fled on foot. During the foot pursuit, the male was seen throwing a weapon down.”

The weapon was a semi-automatic with a round in the chamber and seven more in the magazine, the report said.  The three men were apprehended and questioned by police, leading to the allegations of underage drinking at the club.

The 20-year-old, Travis Townsend, was arrested on suspicion of possession of a weapon by a previous offender and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, the report said.

Michael Laughlin, who is part-owner of the club, did not return a call for comment.

Last year, the club’s liquor license was suspended for 10 days over the “Girls Gone Wild” incident, which included women fondling one another’s breasts, a violation of the city’s liquor code.

This time around, the club could face a much harsher sentence — including a 60-day suspension of its liquor license — if found guilty of the charges.

Here’s why: The liquor board last year suspended the club’s liquor license for 70 days over the naked breasts episode, but 60 days were held in abeyance for a year.

That means the club had to steer clear of any violations for 12 consecutive months or answer for the 60 days that were held in abeyance.

“They’re kind of on probation,” said Denver attorney Michael W. Gross, who represented the club owners last year. “It could be a big problem.”

Gross said he isn’t involved in the latest case against the club.

The alleged new violations “are in contravention of the Board’s earlier order to this licensee on March 20, 2009 to have no further violations for a period of one year,” according to an order to show cause and notice of hearing. “Sixty days of the 70-day suspension in the earlier matter were suspended on condition that the licensee comply with that order.”

Scott Patlin, a city prosecutor, declined Tuesday to say what punishment he would recommend if the liquor board finds the club guilty of the new alleged violations.

“If they are found guilty, the board will probably ask me for a recommendation at that time,” he said.

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Call the writer at 476-1623.