Article published March 08, 2008
Charges against 2 co-owners dismissed; 1 Rodeo Bar owner says steroids are his
Steroids were found in the Rodeo Bar & Grill in Oregon after an accused drunk driver was in a crash, killing five people.
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THE BLADE
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By LAREN WEBER
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Charges filed against two owners of the Rodeo Bar & Grill in Oregon were dismissed yesterday after a third owner admitted the steroids and syringes found during a search of the business in January were his, their attorney said.
Johnathan Roumaya, 23, of 3140 Shoreland Ave., Washington Township, pleaded no contest and was found guilty yesterday in Oregon Municipal Court to a misdemeanor charge of possession of dangerous drugs. A misdemeanor charge of permitting drug abuse was dismissed. He faces up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Mr. Roumaya was referred to the probation department yesterday for a presentence investigation. He is scheduled for sentencing April 14.
In exchange for the plea, the drug-related charges filed against Michael Yousif, 26, of 2917 Riva Ridge Rd., Ottawa Hills, and Glenn Murdzia, 22, of 1645 Longfellow Drive, Temperance, were dismissed, according to John Potts, the attorney representing the owners.
The Rodeo Bar and Grill, 3150 Navarre Ave., is believed to be where Michael Gagnon, 24, of Adrian was drinking Dec. 30 prior to heading the wrong way on I-280 and crashing the pickup he was driving into a van, killing five members of a Maryland family.
Authorities searched the bar in January and found steroids and syringes in a filing cabinet.
The items found were listed as a blister pack containing nine tablets of Clenbuterol, a bottle with liquid Clenbuterol, several vials of the human growth hormone Jintropin, and a bag of syringes and more human growth hormone. Clenbuterol is a steroid used in meat production that's banned in the United States.Mr. Potts said Mr. Roumaya bought the steroids for his use though never used them. The other owners, Mr. Yousif and Mr. Murdzia, had no knowledge of the steroids being at the bar, their attorney said.
"[Mr. Roumaya] wanted to be a man about it," Mr. Potts said. "He wouldn't allow his partners to be put through the ordeal and expense to defend themselves when they knew nothing about it."
Tom Dugan, Oregon city prosecutor, said several workers had access to the filing cabinet where the drugs were found, which made it difficult to prove who had possession of them. Also, no employees would testify that the owners knew about drug abuse at the establishment, Mr. Dugan said.
During an initial pretrial Feb. 29, Mr. Dugan agreed to drop all charges if the person who owned the steroids stepped forward.
The Ohio Department of Public Safety's investigative unit cited the bar in January for improper conduct for drug possession and improper conduct for drug paraphernalia possession. After the inquiry, the Liquor Control Commission will hear the case.
The family in the van was returning to the Baltimore area after visiting relatives near Detroit when the crash occurred.
Bethany Griffin, 36; Jordan Griffin, 10; Lacie Burkman, 7; Haley Burkman, 10, and Vadie Griffin, 8 weeks, were killed. The driver of the van, Danny Griffin, Jr., 36, and his daughter, Sydney Griffin, 8, were hurt seriously. Another passenger, Beau Burkman, 8, had minor injuries.
Mr. Gagnon, who pleaded not guilty in Lucas County Common Pleas Court to five counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and two counts of aggravated vehicular assault, will be tried April 21. He is in the county jail in lieu of a $1.75 million bond and faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
Contact Laren Weber at:
lweber@theblade.com
or 419-724-6050.
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