A downtown Chaska bar that was the scene of a fatal stabbing last week will close by July 1, a city official said.
Police have described Kelley's Bar, 501 N. Chestnut St., as "a source of concern for the police department," according to a recent news release. The stabbing was the second serious crime to occur there in recent weeks.
Kelley Sharp, the bar's owner, informed the city this week he would not seek to renew his liquor license, which expires June 30, City Administrator Matt Podhradsky said. The decision came after Sharp met with city officials about the police department's concerns.
Under the terms of his license, Sharp can keep Kelley's open through the end of the month, Podhradsky said. Until it closes, police will be making occasional walkthroughs "to make sure our presence is known," he said.
Sharp did not return calls for comment.
About 1:45 a.m. on June 3, Jason D. Foster, a Kelley's regular, was stabbed to death outside the bar by a Minneapolis man who had fought with patrons inside Kelley's about 15 minutes earlier, authorities say. He was arrested near the bar.
According to charges in the case, a police officer discovered Foster with stab wounds to his chest when he came upon the scene while on patrol.
A woman was arrested and charged last month with robbing the bar while armed.
