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GREENSBORO — A weekend police check of area nightclubs led to 17 security guards being charged with operating without proper licenses.

Police targeted six clubs as part of a routine inspection to ensure bouncers have the proper requirements to work security at clubs.

The move also comes after three major crimes at separate clubs since Easter Sunday, one of which was a homicide. The other two left victims critically injured. The weekend checks were planned and not in response to those crimes, said Dwight Crotts, assistant chief at the Greensboro Police Department.

“It’s coincidentally happening at the same point in time (the crimes occurred),” Crotts said. “It’s not to say we wouldn’t do it (following a series of crimes), but this was already planned.”

The 17 bouncers charged were working at three of the six clubs checked by police, including Sugar Bare Lost Dimensions at 510 Farragut St., Bentley’s at 709 E. Market St. and Club Inferno at 212 S. Elm St.

Anyone working in a security-related function — including bouncers —  must be licensed by the N.C. Private Protective Services Board. If not licensed, state law requires the security workers be employed by the respective clubs they are working at. They also must be unarmed, said Cpl. J.D. Slone of the police department.

“Essentially, we found guards that were not on the payroll and as such were acting as independent contractors,” Slone said of some of the charges.

In addition to not being properly licensed, two bouncers at Sugar Bare Lost Dimensions were armed. Another was charged with possession with the intent to sell and deliver marijuana.

Two of the clubs checked were sites of major crimes under investigation by the police department.

On April 12, 30-year-old Carlton Smith was fatally shot outside Sugar Bare Lost Dimensions while attempting to stop a carjacking around 5:15 a.m.

Police are looking for a 2008 dark blue Dodge Charger with 22-inch, five-point chrome wheels and a 30-day temporary North Carolina tag that the shooter made off with.

Early Thursday, police said a bouncer at Club Inferno seriously injured a patron after an assault in the club’s basement.

Police said the victim, 23-year-old Travis Hedrick, remains in the hospital with critical injuries. No charges have been filed in the case, which remains under investigation.

In a third nightclub-related incident, police are investigating the April 19 stabbing of Shawn Dewayne Pressley outside Music City at 7700 Boeing Drive.

Pressley, a teacher from Winston-Salem, remains in critical condition and the stabber remains at large, police said.

Music City was not part of the enforcement action this past weekend.

Anyone with information in any of the cases is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 373-1000. 

Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077 or ryan.seals@news-record.com