MACON, Ga. — A Macon convenience store will no longer be allowed to sell alcohol after a decision from the Bibb County Commission.
The county calls the M&M Food Mart dangerous. They took the owner to court this year to close it down temporarily. The store did close in September, after a court hearing where the county called the store a 'magnet for crime.'
M&M reopened in late October, and the owner, Bhanu Partap, says they've made a lot of progress.
"We don't allow anybody to stand there inside the store more than 10 minutes," he explained.
That's just one of the new policies at the store. It's one of the requirements for the store to be open after an October court order. They put op 'No Loitering' signs, too. It's working, Partap says. Crime is down, he says.
At Tuesday's commission meeting, the board wasn't so convinced.
"Based on the sheriff's recommendation, the commission voted to deny the license. It's a recommendation to deny. They'll get a letter in the mail, and we'll go from there," explained Sr. Assistant County Attorney Michael McNeill.
The main issue: the store's history. The county says there were nearly 900 emergency calls to M&M between 2016 and September 16, when the store closed. In October, McNeill told commissioners there were 13 crimes near the store in the three weeks before it closed. He told them there was only one crime in the three weeks after.
McNeill told 13WMAZ the sheriff's office would have the latest statistics. Partap is adamant the number is down.
The denial isn't a done deal yet. Partap can still choose to appeal. He has 10 days to do so. If Partap appeals, he'll make his case to the county commission likely sometime in the new year.
13WMAZ requested the latest crime statistics around the store from the Bibb Sheriff's Office. We haven't received them yet.