Danbury Teen Entrepreneur Tries to Change Tainted Image of Tuxedo Junction

Danbury teen nightclub owner Ian Bick, 19, is looking to revamp his image and the bad reputation his all-ages nightclub Tuxedo Junction is getting. But first, he will need to go to court to answer to a number of charges.

Bick was incarcerated on Oct. 14 when his club was raided during a rave by Danbury Police after they obtained a warrant for his arrest. Bick told Patch that he feels he is being unfairly targeted by Danbury Police.

“The [police] came in while an event was going on and pulled me away from the club. They did that so they could search people here and they found a kid with Mollys in Ziploc bags,” Bick said.

While in jail on Oct. 14, Bick said he spoke with three other teens who were at the club and were found with drugs on them. Bick said he is trying to do things legitimately and work with Danbury Police and EMS to avoid future incidents.

“We have police here for every event, bags are searched but they can hide it anywhere, in their underwear or in their socks and there’s no way of checking that,” Bick said.

On Sept. 2, Bick was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of second-degree criminal mischief stemming from a June 20 incident. At that time he told the News Times he believed the arrest was “part of a pattern of police retaliation” stemming from an underage drinking raid at his club in the summer.

In response to Bick’s claim that police are singling him out and unfairly targeting him, Danbury Police Lt. Christian Carroccio told Patch that they only arrest people when there is “probable cause.”

“We do not make a habit of targeting people.”

Carroccio said in a release:

“Special Investigations conducted an undercover investigation at Tuxedo Junction in reference to the possibility of illegal distribution of alcohol, as Ian Bick is not licensed to do so. This was in response to Bick illegally selling alcohol at a previous event (7/30/2014) and the need to respond to several calls for service regarding intoxicated teenagers at a 10/4/2014 event. On that evening, EMS transported approximately 7 people to the hospital that were either from Tuxedo Junction or found in the immediate area. On 10/17/2014, 3 under cover officers, posing as event patrons entered Tuxedo Junction to determine if alcohol was being sold or distributed. While they did not find alcohol being sold, they observed three adult males selling Illegal drugs (LSD). The officers stated that their attention was brought to the three as their activity was obvious. Plain clothes officers responded when informed and took the three into custody, one of which resisted and had to be forcefully removed.The three males were identified as : Steven Dimeco 07/19/96, 10 Coer Rd., Prospect, CT. Corey Lister9/7/1994, 202 Straisville Rd., Prospect, CTJoseph Brewer-Grzegorcz, 26 Reck Ln., Prospect, CT.”

On Oct. 31 Bick will answer to charges of violating juice bar regulations and illegal disposal of alcohol. Both incidents stem from the July 30 incident at his club.

Bick said his main focus now is to help Tuxedo Junction’s reputation improve and be known as a place parents can feel safe dropping off their teens.

“We have hired Danbury Police and EMS to be here for every big event which is costing me $750 a night so hopefully this will help,” Bick said. “We want to be proactive about preventing things from happening again.”

Before taking over and renovating Tuxedo Junction, Bick ran Skyy Bar and Lounge on Ives Street which closed in early 2014. He opened Tuxedo Junction in June 2014.

“I build my brand based on what Justin Bieber did. He’s a 19-year-old doing things differently, building a cool brand,” Bick told Patch. Like Bick, Bieber has also had several run-ins with the law for vandalism, reckless driving and driving under the influence.

But despite his current challenges, Bick said he will continue to work and continue to fight. As Justin Bieber once said, “I will never say never. I will fight till forever. Whenever you knock me down I will not stay on the ground.”

Have a news tip? Email wendy.mitchell@ patch.com. You can also post your own news, events and announcements on Patch by following these directions. Curious about how our new commenting platform, Disqus, works? Learn more about it here and start interacting with your neighbors on Patch.

Photo: Tuxedo Junction

Photo credit: Dan Nilson Photography