Vice Lounge liquor license remains suspended, employee charged with rape

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The City of Savannah has suspended Vice Lounge’s liquor license until they can hold a “show cause” hearing in front of city council where the liquor license holder must explain why the license should not be revoked.

In the notice for the hearing, the city states they consider Vice Lounge a “threat to public safety, welfare or health, and a public nuisance.”

The notice also breaks down 53 calls of service they say are of interest, including two rapes, two calls for sexual battery, 21 fights, and one terroristic threat – listed as shots fired.

Of these incidents - on April 1st, 24-year-old Taylor Tallent, an employee of Vice Lounge, was charged with rape and aggravated sodomy after Savannah Police received a report of sexual assault at the bar.

The notice also lists three separate meetings with the Alcohol and Beverage Compliance Unit – one in October of 2020 referencing the establishment as a nuisance business.

Another in February of this year regarding ongoing fights and underage customers and a third just last month, about underage drinking leading to a violent crime.

The hearing was originally scheduled for last week. The city has confirmed that the business owner requested a continuance and it has not yet been rescheduled.

The liquor license will remain suspended until the hearing happens.

We’ve continued to reach out to Vice Lounge. In a statement, they say:

This matter is the subject of an an ongoing investigation. Vice Lounge has cooperated fully with the Savannah Police Department in its investigation and will continue to do so. No further public comment by Vice Lounge will be made while the investigation remains pending.

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