First steps have been taken to transfer the liquor license for R-Place, 1527 Harlem Ave., from former owners to a new company, 26/9 Sports Bar Lounge LLC, said Mayor Anthony Calderone, who also acts as Liquor Commissioner for the village. Calderone met with Tina M. Jones, Jan. 13, to discuss the transfer of the license, but as of Jan. 20 he had not received a completed application.
Jones is a friend of Riverside resident and exonerated former Chicago Police Dept. torture victim Eric Caine, who spent 25 years in prison for a 1985 home invasion-murder he did not commit. He was released in 2010 and won a $10 million judgment against the city of Chicago. Caine is reputed to be the financial backer in the purchase of R Place, although no sale is yet shown in the Cook County Recorder of Deeds public records.
Caine was arrested and charged by North Riverside police with felony DUI after he allegedly sideswiped two parked vehicles with his 2012 Cadillac around 2:30 a.m., Dec. 31, on Desplaines Avenue near 31st Street. He is currently being held in Cook County Jail on DUI charges with $50,000 bail, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s website. His next court date is on Jan. 27 at the Maybrook courthouse.
This article has been updated with the correct year of Caine’s release from prison.
