A bar belonging to Luke Bryan has reportedly had an investigation launched into its serving practices. TMZ first reported that licensing authority the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission is looking into the Nashville bar in relation to a missing college student.
Riley Strain has been missing for over a week after hitting the town with some friends last Friday. The 22-year-old was at one point in the evening allegedly kicked out of the bar, known as Luke’s 32 Bridge. He was then separated from his group and went off on his own.
According to TMZ, Riley had told his friends that he would meet them back at the hotel they were all staying at. However, when his party came back, he was nowhere to be found.
An extensive search has been conducted across Nashville. And now, the search has brought a state agency back to the doors of Luke’s bar. The Commission is reportedly wanting to establish whether Riley might have been overserved during his time at the bar.
The licensing body told TMZ that there are no definitive rules governing a business’s ability to remove intoxicated customers from the premises. However, there are laws about giving too much alcohol to patrons who have had enough.
Tennessee law says that it is considered a class A misdemeanor to serve someone who is visibly intoxicated. This is what the commission has opened an investigation into at 32 Bridge.
The Search for Riley Strain Continues
Since then, crews have searched across the city streets and to a nearby riverbank, with some theorizing that he might have fallen in the water. Surveillance footage has since emerged showing the college student stumbling down a street in town. According to TMZ, the footage seemed to show Riley appearing visibly intoxicated.
It was also reported that Luke himself has spoken up about the disappearance in the last few days. The country singer has asked for prayers in the hope that Riley can be found. He also said that his bar is fully cooperating with law enforcement and providing any video footage that could help.
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On Wednesday, Riley’s family spoke to People magazine about the “pure hell” they’ve been living through in the last week. His stepfather, Christopher Whiteid, told the outlet that Riley had FaceTimed his mom from a different bar earlier that night. He went on to say that the family didn’t know anything was wrong until the next morning when they got a call from Riley’s friends.
People reported that they were on the road to Nashville in the next thirty minutes. After reading the police report from Riley’s friends, the family started visiting “every emergency room” in Nashville. Christopher described the torment of not knowing what was going on.
However, the family has not given up hope, and told People, “We still have opportunities to find him.” Riley’s family has not commented on the investigation into Luke’s bar.
