BOULDER, Colo. — The doors are locked at Scrooge Sul, a bar in Boulder’s University Hill neighborhood, as police investigate allegations of sexual assault and druggings involving multiple underage women at the establishment.
Records show more than six dozen calls for service at the bar over the last year, and CU Boulder students tell Denver7 they aren't surprised the establishment is in hot water.
Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said underage victims or witnesses who were intoxicated at the time won't be penalized for coming forward with information.
"We want to hear from victims and witnesses so we can thoroughly investigate these allegations and ensure future sexual assaults are prevented," Redfearn said in a press release.
Police said they were not releasing the name of the suspect and that no arrests have been made.
"Identifying additional victims or witnesses is critical to moving this investigation forward," officials said.
'Ongoing danger to the community'
Documents show the allegations, which go back to last summer, involve underage drinking, physical altercations, fake IDs, and drugging.
The Boulder Liquor Authority on Wednesday, March 25 issued an order to show in court, effectively suspending the bar’s operations until the virtual hearing scheduled for Monday, March 30 at 5 p.m. The city’s beverage licensing authority and advisory board will determine whether Scrooge Sul’s liquor license should be suspended or revoked.
According to the show cause hearing affidavit, there were 74 calls for service associated with the establishment in the past year. Not all calls resulted in case reports being filed.
In December, investigators noted the bar’s ID scanner was not working properly, marking all IDs as valid regardless of their validity.
“Mr. Kim is aware his scanner is not working properly but has not demonstrated any attempt to correct the issue,” the affidavit said. “In addition, the multiple calls for service, some on the same night, involving numerous underage individuals consuming alcoholic beverages, physical altercations, the acceptance of fraudulent identification, and allegations of drugging, demonstrate the ongoing danger to the community.”
Denver7 did not successfully reach Scrooge Sul for comment by the time of publication.
Boulder police have not disclosed how many victims have come forward, but they say they have reason to believe there are more. Police want underage victims and witnesses to know that speaking up will not get them in trouble.
A reputation
For CU Boulder student Deanna Hale, seeing the suspension sign on the door is a relief.
"I was there, like, last year at some point, and I got roofied at Scrooge. I had one drink there,” Hale said.
Hale said she made it home safely that night.
"Just scary to think that, even though I ended up OK, that it could have been a very different outcome," Hale said.
Other Boulder students said they are not surprised to see the bar shut down.
"Too many minors in there, maybe too many underage IDs. That's the rumor," student Brayden Reece said.
Denver7 spoke to quite a few students on Friday who all agreed underage drinking is a big problem for many of the bars on The Hill.
“There's [bars] in the past that had that same thing happen — they only [lasted] a year or two,” student Cole Boyette said.
"It's definitely a weird energy in there," student Ian Surowiec said.
“[Scrooge Sul is] one of those places for students where it's like, ‘Oh, we're gonna go with a fake ID. Can I go with a fake ID? I'm going here,’” Surowiec said.
Hale said Scrooge Sul has earned another reputation among CU Boulder students on top of that.
"I've never heard of somebody that's gotten roofied at any other bar, but I've heard quite a few people have gotten roofied at Scrooge," Hale said.
Scrooge Banh Mi, located just a few doors down, has no affiliation with Scrooge Sul and tells Denver7 they're in the process of changing their name.
"We are aware of the situation, and our hearts are with those affected," a sign posted to the banh mi shop's door reads. "We will always stand with victims and believe them."
Hale said she has had many questions about what happened to her that night at Scrooge Sul.
"I'm just glad they got shut down, and I'm glad I know now what happened," Hale said.
Spotting dangerous situations and getting help
The Blue Bench, a survivor advocacy group in Denver, said they are working to educate bars and restaurants across the Front Range on the warning signs to prevent incidents like these from occurring in the first place.
“This sad situation also emphasizes the need for alcohol serving establishments to be aware and know how to spot dangerous situations before they happen,” Director of Development Sarah Korn said.
The Blue Bench holds Safe Bar trainings for alcohol-serving establishments, which help by improving recognition of behaviors that are sexually violent and learning the typical patterns of perpetrator behavior.
According to the advocacy group, perpetrator behavior tends to follow a pattern of:
- Selecting a target
- Testing the target and the environment to see what they can get away with
- Isolating the person being targeted
- Assaulting the target
- Following up with the survivor or potential observers to try to control the narrative of what happened
The Blue Bench encourages bar staff to become more aware of places that perpetrators could isolate someone in their establishment.
They are also reminding anyone affected that confidential resources and therapy are available at no cost, regardless of whether they feel comfortable coming forward to investigators or not.
The Blue Bench resources:
- 24/7 Sexual Assault Hotline at 303-322-7273 for free, confidential help.
- To inquire about receiving therapy or case management services, call the resource line at 303-329-9922 (para Español, 303-329-9922) or email resourceline@thebluebench.org.
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