A Michigan restaurant owner will remain in jail for up to three months after she allegedly refused to follow the state’s coronavirus restrictions, as restaurants nationally continue to shutter during the pandemic.
Marlena Pavlos-Hackney, 55, the owner of Marlena’s Bistro and Pizzeria, was arrested early Friday morning because she continued to willfully violate the coronavirus policies, the district attorney claimed. A warrant was issued for her arrest March 11.
US TEENAGER SENTENCE TO FOUR MONTHS IN CAYMAN ISLANDS JAIL FOR BREAKING CORONAVIRUS QUARANTINE
She was taken into custody for an outstanding Ingraham County civil warrant for contempt of court.
Ingraham County Circuit Judge Rosemaria Aquilina accused Pavlos-Hackney of having “selfishly not followed the orders” and accused her of doing so “for your own financial gain and apparently for the publicity that comes with it” during a hearing on Friday.
The restaurant owner will be in jail until the state is confident that her establishment is closed and after she pays $7,500, according to the Detroit News.
“This owner has continued to willfully violate the state’s food laws, public health orders, and the order of the court — a dangerous act that may have exposed dozens of diners and employees to the virus following the discovery that one of Marlena’s customers tested positive for the virus within two days of eating there,” District Attorney Dana Nessel said. “MDARD is particularly concerned because the potential exposure happened at a restaurant that refuses to comply with basic COVID-19 measures required by the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services.”
Also during Friday’s hearing, the judge ordered a man who claimed to represent Pavlos-Hackney as an “assistance of counsel” to be arrested on suspicion of contempt of court because he allegedly represented himself as a lawyer but is not licensed to practice.
The defendant will pay the fine and close the restaurant, she said.
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The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development suspended the restaurant’s license Jan. 20, but they have been operating without a license, which is a violation of law, according to the district attorney’s office.
