Watertown Police Bucked Licensing Board Request to Investigate Donohue's Bar and Grill

The Licensing Board learned recently that an investigation into possible night operation violations for the patio at Donohue's Bar and Grill has still not occurred two months after board members made the request to the Watertown Police Department.

The East End restaurant, own by Watertown resident and Town Councilor John Donohue, has permission to operate the patio until 10 p.m. from May 1 to Sept. 30, but earlier this year he applied to extend the late hours into April and October. The Licensing Board denied the request at its February meeting.

East End Town Councilor Angeline Kounelis told Watertown Patch that she has received calls from neighbors complaining about people being out on the patio at Donohue's after 10 p.m.

Licensing Board Chairman Donna Doucette told Watertown Police Sgt. Thomas Grady - who oversees licensing for the police - that "we have a problem," according to a report on Wicked Local Watertown (the online site for the Watertown Tab and Press) and others who attended the meeting. 

Grady said the matter is complicated because Donohue has a sister who works in the WPD detective division, the same division as Grady. He told Doucette that police and other town department discussed the matter and agreed that someone outside the Police Department would investigate, according to Wicked Local Watetown, but he did not specify who or what department.

Donohue appealed the Licensing Board's denial of adding evening patio hours in April and October to the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, which sided with Dohohue. Despite this, the board again denied the extended hours in July, according to a report by Wicked Local Watertown.

In August, Donohue filed a complaint in Middlesex District Court appealing the Licensing Board's decision and seeking patio hours until 11 p.m. and use of the patio 12 months a year, Wicked Local reported.