Another interesting chapter was added to the somewhat rocky story of a longtime Vallecito steakhouse on Tuesday when La Plata County commissioners denied a liquor license to the steakhouse’s current owner.

Commissioners were faced with the decision of whether to allow the transfer of a liquor license back to Virginia’s Steakhouse owner Jim Lawrence. Lawrence owned the restaurant, and the liquor license, from 2009 to 2010, but he transferred the license when he sold the property in December 2010. He regained ownership of the restaurant in mid-2011 after the man he sold it to stopped making payments on the property.

The hearing centered around Lawrence’s behavior when he owned the restaurant, specifically a 2010 incident when Lawrence was arrested in connection with using a customer’s debit card to buy $750 worth of gas at several gas stations, according to police reports. The customer had used his debit card to open a tab at Virginia’s bar and forgot his card when he left for the night, according to reports.

Lawrence agreed to a plea of no contest for one count of misdemeanor theft and paid $750 in restitution. As part of the deal, a 10-day jail sentence was suspended and Lawrence received a deferred judgment of six months. After that time, his case was dismissed.

Lawrence, who attended the commissioners’ hearing Tuesday, maintained that he was not guilty of all charges.

Lawrence could have paid the court to seal his record, but hadn’t done so at the time the county conducted a background check related to the liquor license case.

The commissioners were tasked with deciding whether Lawrence satisfied state standards regarding the moral character of license holders. State law states that anyone who is not of good moral character is prohibited from holding a liquor license.

In the end, the commissioners denied the liquor transfer request, though their decision may not matter much. The restaurant closed in the fall of last year, and Lawrence put it up for sale in April. He lives in Arizona and has no plans to reopen the restaurant. Because liquor licenses don’t run with the property, a new owner would need to apply for a new liquor license in an entirely separate process.

ecowan@durangoherald.com