Resident urges Kenosha council to investigate underage drinking at Shenanigans, alleges video-retention shortfalls

Angela Preston, a Kenosha resident, told the Common Council during public comment that she has tried multiple city channels to get action on alleged underage drinking at Shenanigans on 60th Avenue and that those attempts produced little or no response.

Preston said she contacted the mayor, her alderman, the police chief and the city attorney. "I couldn't get a return phone call," she said. She asked the council to put the matter on the docket and urged the city to require drive-through businesses to retain 90 days of video; she said tavern operators in Kenosha have been keeping only 30 days of footage.

Preston said Officer Galley was the only person in the Police Department willing to discuss the case and that Alderperson Ruth Dyson had contacted the police chief on her behalf. "So, as I understand it, the police are investigating themselves," Preston said, adding that she filed an additional complaint because of concerns about the initial response. She said there are three drive-through locations in the city that do not retain 90 days of video, and that she asked that those businesses be shut down until they can produce 90 days of documentation.

Preston described a recent incident involving her daughter, saying her daughter "almost died" and that she expects officials to take ownership of their roles. The council did not take formal action on Preston’s remarks during the meeting; her comments were part of the public-comment period.

The transcript records Preston's request and named some city staff and alderpersons she contacted, but it does not show a formal directive from the council to staff or a follow-up schedule. Police and city staff did not address the complaint on the record during the meeting.