A popular neighborhood store on Van Voris St., was ordered closed the Batesville Mayor and Board of Aldermen Tuesday, Sept. 12, following an inspection by the Batesville Fire Department and Code Office. Chief Building Official Andy Berryhill said several violations, including non-working electrical outlets and leaky pipes, made the store unsafe for occupancy.

Berryhill said the inspection was not a regularly scheduled event and he accompanied a Fire Department official for Tuesday’s inspection. The property 0wners were not issued a citation with a timeframe to correct the issues, but were given information regarding the process to appeal the store’s closing.

Sometimes called TK’s Supermarket and listed a TK Country Corner on the internet, the store is known as a hangout for people of the neighborhood. Also yesterday, the owner was told to remove chairs and a picnic table and keep people away from the parking lot until the violations are repaired. Batesville Fire and Police are both called to the location multiple times each week, either for assaults, fires, or medical emergencies.

The Code Office’s actions dovetails with an increased show of police force in that area of Batesville, with aldermen working to reduce the growing rates of property crimes across the city. Just Tuesday, police reportedly arrested two homeless persons under a vagrancy ordinance and transported both the county jail.