The owner of Machiavelli’s Restaurant in Southington has been charged with reckless endangerment after investigators found several liquor and fire codes, including overcrowding and a lock on the backdoor, preventing anyone from using it to escape in the case of emergency, according to police.
Police arrested Spendi Bomova on a warrant just before 1 a.m. on Thursday.
The Southington Police and Fire Departments, as well as the state Liquor Control Commission conducted an inspection at 75 Center St. at 12:45 a.m. on Oct. 13.
During the inspection, the establishment overcrowded and the rear exit door was found padlocked shut.
Bomova told the Record Journal that the door was locked by accident, It is not usually locked, but people have snuck in the door in the past, he told the newspaper.
The Record Journal also reported that the liquor violations included refilling liquor bottles.
This locked door was the way to leave the restaurant from the back in the event of an emergency, according to police.
Bomova was charged with reckless endangerment in the first degree. He was processed and released on a $5,000 non-surety bond. He is due in court in Bristol on Jan. 28.
Police said they are not aware of charges being filed in the past connected to restaurant inspections.