Covina closing down bar in Adenhart crash

The Covina bar that served drinks to the man convicted of killing Angel pitcher Nick Adenhart and two others last year in a drunk driving crash in Fullerton will be shut down Dec. 2, authorities said Friday.

Covina City Council members were prepared to revoke the business license and two conditional use permits for the Well on Tuesday, but agreed to a request from the bar’s attorney to give the establishment 30 days to close, said Lt. Patrick Buchanan of the Covina Police Department.

Andrew Thomas Gallo, 23, drank heavily at the bar on April 9, 2009, before he drove a minivan through a red light and barreled into a car driven by 20-year-old Courtney Frances Stewart, killing her, Henry Pearson, 25, and Adenhart.

A test conducted several hours after the crash showed Gallo had a blood-alcohol level of 0.19%, more than twice the legal limit, officials said.

A video of Gallo and his stepbrother drinking at the bar and giving each other high-fives was shown to jurors during the trial. Gallo told investigators he drank to the point of blacking out and had no memory of driving that night.

Gallo faces 50 years to life in prison when he is sentenced next month.

The bar, which features waitresses in bikinis, had drawn the Covina Police Department’s attention before the incident, usually for over-serving customers and fights. Between 2008 and 2010, officers responded to the bar more than 140 times, Buchanan said.

Police were investigating misconduct at the bar when they received an anonymous e-mail detailing more improprieties, including “ Texas hold ‘em poker tournaments, nudity, prostitution and chair massages from the bikini-clad waitresses,” Buchanan said.

In July, the department began conducting undercover operations in the bar and gathered enough evidence to charge owner Douglas Salvinski, 49, manager London Angelo Capozi, 45, and six servers with multiple counts of operating or participating in an illegal gambling operation, Buchanan said.

In addition, the department is investigating a rape allegation against Salvinski, The case is still under investigation and has not been presented to the district attorney, Buchanan said.

Messages left for Salvinski and Capozi at the bar seeking comment were not returned.

Adenhart’s death drew national attention. The young right-handed pitcher was killed just after making his fourth big-league start, pitching six shutout innings. His father was in the stands and planned to meet with his son the next day.

Stewart, the driver, was a former cheerleader at Cal State Fullerton; and Pearson, was a 25-year-old law school student who was building a sports management business. Also in the car was Jon Wilhite, a former Cal State Fullerton catcher, who was severely injured in the crash.

stephen.ceasar@latimes.com