Rude Rudys permanently closed

Owner agrees to lifetime alcohol license ban

Michael Gatto, left, and Katherine Gatto, the parents of 18-year-old Michael Gatto, leave the Statesboro City Council chamber, escorted by a police officer, after speaking at a council hearing Wednesday morning. The younger Michael Gatto died Aug. 28 from injuries sustained after he was beaten at Rude Rudy's. On Wednesday, council approved an agreement that permanently closes the bar. - photo by AL HACKLE/Staff

R.Rudys CLOSED - Gatto Parents — Michael Gatto, left, and Katherine Gatto, the parents of 18-year-old Michael Gatto, leave the Statesboro City Council chamber, escorted by a police officer, after speaking at a council hearing Wednesday morning. The younger Michael Gatto died Aug. 28 from injuries sustained after he was beaten at Rude Rudy's. On Wednesday, council approved an agreement that permanently closes the bar. - photo by AL HACKLE/Staff

Rude Rudy's, the bar where Michael Gatto, 18, suffered a beating on Aug. 28 before dying a few hours later, has closed, and its owner has agreed to a lifetime ban on getting another license to serve alcohol in Statesboro. Rude Rudy's owner Jonathan Earl Starkey agreed to a settlement with the city's Department of Public Safety rather than go through a City Council hearing Wednesday. Gatto's parents spoke after the called council meeting ended in the announced settlement rather than a full hearing.

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