The Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) said it is no longer inquiring into the Woodbury restaurant previously linked to the death of ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman's wife, Kathy.
On Tuesday, DCP said they had launched an investigation into the Good News Cafe, where police said Kathy Berman had allegedly been dining before she and another driver died in a car crash last May.
NBC Connecticut reached out to Good News Cafe after the announcement and a manager said DCP and state police were at the restaurant last week asking questions and they were given receipts to prove the establishment was not open on the day of the crash. The manager said the restaurant cooperated fully and that officials were now looking into other restaurants in the area. The restaurant's website says Good News Cafe is not open on Tuesdays.
DCP said on Tuesday that according to all reports, Berman was at Good News Cafe. They said they understand the restaurant is not open on Tuesdays normally and were investigating whether or not she was at a private event.
On Thursday, DCP said they had ended their probe into the restaurant, but a larger investigation with Connecticut State Police continues.
"The Liquor Control Division at DCP has ended its inquiry into the Good News Cafe in association with the May 9 death of Katherine Berman. There were no found violations at the Good News Cafe. We want to thank the owner and staff of the Good News Cafe for their cooperation in our investigation. While we are no longer looking at the Good News Cafe specifically, a larger investigation in coordination with State Police remains ongoing," Lore Rae Anderson, director of communications for the DCP, wrote in a statement.
The deadly crash happened on Route 64 near Tuttle Road at 2:15 p.m. on May 9 after a Lexus SC 430 driven by 67-year-old Berman, of Cheshire, and a Ford Escape collided, according to state police.
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The 86-year-old driver of the Ford, Edward Bertulis, was returning from visiting his late wife at the cemetery when the deadly crash happened. His family said he had been going there every day since his wife passed away in 2016.
State police said both vehicles were traveling east on Route 64 when Berman's Lexus rear-ended the Ford, which veered right off the road, hit a utility pole, and landed upside down. Berman also veered right, crashed off the road and down an embankment into a body of water, according to police.
Both drivers died after the crash.
The chief medical examiner's office said Berman died of blunt force trauma and drowning on July 20.
On Tuesday, DCP said the autopsy indicated that Berman had heightened blood alcohol content.
Connecticut State Police and DCP's Liquor Control Division opened a case into the matter, DCP said on Tuesday.
The investigation is expected to take a few months.
