ORLANDO, Fla. – The popular Orlando music venue owner who is being held in the Orange County Jail on an immigration detainer is facing a second-degree misdemeanor charge, court records confirmed Tuesday.
Three days after Cleon Williams was booked into the jail, a court docket related to his arrest finally appeared on the Orange County Clerk of Court’s website, indicating that Williams received a ‘Notice to Appear’ for possession of alcohol without a license with the intent to sell.
Williams, known to many in Orlando’s indie music scene as “Uncle Lou,” has run “Uncle Lou’s Entertainment Hall” on North Mills Avenue for about two decades.
Last Friday night, undercover agents with the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (ABT) walked into the venue and successfully ordered a shot of New Amsterdam Vodka and a shot of Rumple Minze Peppermint Schnapps, according to court documents.
The establishment, however, had a license for beer and wine sales, but not for liquor, according to court documents.
Orlando Police assisted in the operation and told News 6 Monday that one person was arrested during the operation and taken to the jail, where ICE later placed an immigration detainer on him because he had an expired visa.
A source intimately familiar with Williams’ situation told News 6 Tuesday that Williams “very likely” could be deported.
Originally from Jamaica, Williams has been held since early Saturday morning on an immigration detainer, which means ICE has requested that the jail hold him until its agents can retrieve him.
An inmate who has an immigration detainer but is not facing criminal charges can be held at the jail for up to 72 hours before ICE is supposed to take that person into custody.
The jail’s website does not show that Williams is facing criminal charges. At the time of this article’s publication, Williams had been in the jail longer than 72 hours.
Court documents state that he has an arraignment on the second-degree misdemeanor charge set for June 23.
During the ABT operation, a second person also received a ‘Notice to Appear’ for the same second-degree misdemeanor charge.
Unlike Williams, though, the second defendant is a U.S. citizen and is not currently in the jail.