SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — A Scranton restaurant has been temporarily shut down after the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office asked a judge to declare the business a nuisance and close it permanently.
District Attorney Brian Gallagher said he filed a Petition for Special Relief against Isla Paraiso Restaurant at 1001 South Main Avenue following what he described as repeated public safety problems associated with the establishment.
A Lackawanna County judge granted a temporary stay Monday ordering Isla Paraiso to cease all operations while the case is pending.
According to the court order, the case names Paraiso Caribeno Corp., doing business as Isla Paraiso Restaurant, along with Nicholas Tsioles, Cynthia Tsioles and Franchesca N. Espinal Franco as respondents.
Gallagher said the petition follows multiple reported incidents connected to the establishment, including a gun being fired this past weekend and an earlier incident in which a bullet struck a neighborhood home.
The district attorney alleges the business operates as a restaurant during the day but becomes an after-hours nightclub that can remain open until 2, 3 or 4 a.m.
Gallagher further alleges alcohol sales, loud music, drugs and illegal firearms associated with the late-night activity have created problems for the surrounding neighborhood.
“I will not wait for a tragedy to occur or for something horrible to happen before we take action,” Gallagher said.
The court order requires the business to remain closed and prohibits operations by any establishment under any name at the South Main Avenue address while the matter is pending.
A notice posted at the property also warns that anyone entering or remaining on the premises could face criminal prosecution.
The restaurant and other respondents have been ordered to show why the relief requested by the district attorney should not be granted.
A hearing, if necessary, is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Thursday, September 3, in Courtroom 5 of the Lackawanna County Courthouse.
Gallagher said his office is working with Lackawanna County Detectives on the case and intends to seek the restaurant’s permanent closure.
“We look forward to shutting it down permanently,” Gallagher said.