Marlena Pavlos-Hackney, 55, owner of Marlena’s Bistro and Pizzeria in the Netherlands, was arrested without incident Friday after a traffic stop in Ottawa County, according to a statement from Dana Nessel, Attorney General of Michigan.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Michigan suspended her food license on January 20, 2021, but the restaurant continued, according to the release.
A judge in administrative law upheld the suspension in February, saying Pavlos-Hackney “knowingly did not meet the local and state health requirements established to distribute COVID-19 to employees, customers and the community.”
The Allegan County health department issued a notice to the public Friday informing them of their possible exposure to Covid-19 in the restaurant, Attorney General Nessel said.
‘This owner continued to deliberately violate state laws, public health orders and the court order – a dangerous act that exposed dozens of people and employees to the virus after the discovery that one of Marlena’s customers tested positive for the virus within two days after eating there, ”Nessel said.
CNN reached out to Pavlos-Hackney’s lawyer for comment, but did not hear from him.
According to Nessel’s news release, Michigan police notified Pavlos-Hackney on March 11 that a warrant had been issued for her arrest. She was advised to resign on March 18, but was unable to do so.
Following her arrest Friday morning by Michigan State Police, Pavlos-Hackney was reportedly transported to Ingham County Jail, where she will be detained while awaiting court proceedings.