NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Broadway honky-tonk at the center of a homicide case is now facing a large fine from the state stemming from the investigation.
Dallas “DJ” Barrett was found unresponsive on the top floor of Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row, just before 11:00 p.m. on August 16 following an incident with security. The incident was caught on video at the establishment.
Multiple people were seen holding Barrett down.
The Davidson County Grand Jury indicted the following men, which includes six employees and one non-employee:
- Dylan Thomas Larocca, 33, of Mt. Juliet;
- John D. Eustace, 26, of Hermitage;
- Mark Ryan Watkins, 24, last known address DeBary, Florida;
- Mallet Daquan Meneese, 30, of Hermitage;
- Jaelen Alexander Maxwell, 23, of Murfreesboro; and
- Tarrell K. Gray, 25, of Nashville.
- Steven John Simon, 44, of Hermitage (non-employee)
Those men face reckless homicide and aggravated assault charges in the homicide investigation.
Over the course of the investigation, it was revealed four of the security guards involved — Eustace, Watkins, Maxwell and Gray — were not properly licensed by the state at the time of the incident.
Now, court documents obtained by News 2 on Wednesday reveal Whiskey Row has been fined a total of $26,000 by the State of Tennessee due to several violations within its security team.
According to the documents, the three separate penalties contribute to the $26,000 total. They are laid out as follows:
- $12,000 — For operating without a designated qualifying manager for over 12 month
- $10,000 — For employing two security guards for over five months each with appropriate registration
- $4,000 — For employing two other guards without appropriate registration
On top of the fine, Whiskey Row will also be required to submit monthly payroll records and security rosters to the Detection Services Licensing Program for the next year.
Security hires for Whiskey Row are also required to be made by a licensed contract security company moving forward.
