Huntington eyes Paramount after arrests

After meeting with operators of Huntington's Paramount Theater Wednesday, town Supervisor Frank Petrone said he did not believe the theater has violated terms of its permit, but he said an "ongoing cooperative discussion" is planned to deal with quality-of-life issues surrounding the live music venue.

The huddle was called after four people were arrested and five people were sent to hospitals after a dance party there late Saturday. Earlier this week, a concerned Petrone said he wanted to meet with Paramount officials, police and the town's public safety department because it was "not the type of activity we anticipated, nor will it be tolerated."

"We met, and it went well," Petrone said Wednesday. "I'm going to solve these problems as they come up, and hopefully, they'll be less and less."

Petrone said the owners have agreed to better screen patrons and acts, enhance security and work more closely with the Suffolk police department's Second Precinct in Huntington.

Dominic Catoggio, one of the theater owners, did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Insp. Edward Brady, commander of the Second Precinct, said the meeting was productive, and the owners seemed receptive to acting in the best interest of the community, including "more responsible scheduling of events." He added that he reiterated the police department's position with owners.

"We can't have our resources diverted from the regular patrol functions to handle something like this," Brady said about Saturday night's event. "It impacted our operations and the operations of other commands."

Petrone said that while it may seem like venue operators are violating the terms of its permit with some of the acts -- it is not allowed to be a bar, tavern, private club or nightclub -- he disagrees.

"I give them the benefit of the doubt," Petrone said. "Although we are going to continue to be on top of it, but if there are going to be problems, they're going to have to nip them in the bud."