A bar owner in a southern Minnesota town has been charged with violating the state’s emergency stay-at-home order after hosting a card game at his establishment.
David Schuster, 57, of Winnebago was charged via summons with one count of violating an emergency order, WCCO in Minneapolis reported.
A Winnebago police officer on March 22 noticed the lights were on at Schooter’s Bar during patrol. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz had issued a mandatory stay-at-home order days earlier, shutting down bars, restaurants, and other nonessential businesses across the state.
The door to Schooter’s Bar was locked, police said, but an officer was able to speak to the four men inside who were drinking and playing cards. The officer informed the men, including Schuster, that they were violating the state’s emergency order and needed to leave.
According to the criminal complaint, one of the men told the officer they would not leave until he came back with a warrant.
Schuster, police said, replied: “This is communism.”
Once a sheriff’s deputy arrived, the men cleaned up and eventually left, but Schuster was issued a citation. He is due to appear in court on May 19, local media reported.
Violation of an emergency order in Minnesota carries a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.
