The city challenged an after-hours club owner in Saginaw on Monday morning.

Saginaw city officials held the hearing to determine if the Thunder Room will remain closed. the location at 1630 E. Genesee Ave. was boarded up and padlocked last week following a shooting where a man was shot multiple times.

TV5's Jonathan Lowe was at the hearing and said it was like being in a courtroom.

The gathering was complete with a judge-like hearing officer, a witness stand, evidence that was presented, and attorneys presenting their case.

It was all in an effort to determine if the shutdown of the Thunder Room will stand. First up was the city, who called city inspections officials and police officers. But when it was the club owner's turn to defend himself, the hearing took an odd and unexpected turn.

Owner Lorman Dale said on the advice of his attorney, he had no comment.

The city says Dale did not have a proper business license to operate the building as an afterhour's club. Also, the building has no certificate of occupancy.

The Thunder Room, according to police, has recently become a hotbed of criminal activity, which recently led to someone being critically injured.

Assistant City Manager for Public Safety Phil Ludos, who served as the hearing officer, said similar clubs across the city should take the story of the Thunder Room as a warning.

"One of the things we're seeing is that all of these facilities have the potential for fires, for overcrowding, so the rules are in place and this isn't a matter of you just find a building and open it up and do whatever you want in it, that's just not the way the city operates, not Saginaw or any other city," said Ludos.

We don't expect Ludos to make a decision Monday on whether that shut down will stand. TV5 tried getting some reaction from Dale on what evidence the city presented during the hearing, but he left before the hearing was over.

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