WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Ill. (WSIL) -- A local business is being accused of selling alcohol without a license after a man fell unconscious outside the building.
John Thomas, owner of The Smokin' Hookah Lounge, says there's a lawsuit pending but was instructed by attorneys not to go into detail.
Sheriff's deputies responded to the lounge just before 4 a.m. Sunday for a report of an unconscious 18-year-old man in front of the business.
Deputies said multiple doses of Narcan were administered to the victim who survived. Thomas credited a group of nurses who acted quickly in saving his life.
"He was looking real drowsy so I said 'let's get some air'. So we took him outside and then he started seizing out," Thomas said. "There were about three nurses before the ambulance even arrived that actually administered the Narcan."
Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich believes the victim ingested Percocet that was laced with fentanyl. Diederich believes the victim bought the drug plus $200 worth of alcohol at the lounge.
"We can't have 18-year-olds consuming alcohol and illegal drugs in an unlicensed liquor establishment," Diederich said.
Thomas says his business is not a liquor establishment, adding that he's been denied liquor licenses in the past.
"I'm a hookah lounge. I sell hookahs. That's the only thing I sell. I'm licensed to sell hookah," Thomas said.
The lounge has a capacity of 110 people. Thomas says there were around 45 people when the incident happened Sunday morning. Diederich says deputies encountered a large crowd including underage patrons.
"If these were licensed liquor establishments, these parties or these gatherings wouldn't be gathering after 2 a.m.," Diederich said.
Thomas says the victim is okay and has since apologized to Thomas' staff. Thomas believes the sheriff's department is misconstruing the situation.
"They see the crowd drunk. That doesn't mean that I sell them the liquor," Thomas said. "I'm an after hours place. People come already intoxicated."
Diederich is concerned about the safety of his deputies and other first responders when they arrive to calls with large groups of people.
"I think our community is very pro business but we have to do it in a responsible manner," Diederich said. "4 a.m. parties with illegal drugs, guns and underage consumption of alcohol is just not consistent."
In April 2023, the owners of Club 262 were charged with unlawfully selling alcohol. One person was also shot near the business. Club 262 has since closed.
On December 30, deputies responded to B&B Shisha Lounge in Marion for a call of a fight in progress. A man was later arrested on weapons charges. Diederich says the business is also accused of selling alcohol illegally.
Thomas believes the department is stretching the truth on its Facebook posts and will now wait to see how the lawsuit pans out.
"I'm being targeted. Everything that comes out in those articles [is false]," Thomas said. "None of it is truth."
