Rat infestation forces restaurant to close

None — The owner of a pub and restaurant in Decatur has sued an adjoining business, demanding  it exterminate rats and replace walls to prevent rodent migration into the restaurant.

Aaron Melton temporarily closed Melton's App and Tapp last week because of a rodent problem.

Melton told Channel 2's Tom Regan the rats slipped through holes in walls of Pet Superstore, where they were breeding and feeding on animal food.

"In our facility, they removed a couple of dozen rats. Next door at the Pet Supermarket they removed 300 rats," Melton said.

Last month, a DeKalb County judge ordered the Pet Supermarket to close, but on Tuesday a lawyer for the pet store said they were replacing walls but need more time to address the rat problem.

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"We have no intent to open our doors until such time that we can certify to this court with an affidavit from our exterminator that we are rat free," Pet Supermarket attorney Tammi Brown said.

An attorney for Melton said they want to use their own experts to assess conditions inside the store and monitor construction of new walls.

"It's critical for us to see the repair work on the common wall," attorney Bobby Slotkin said.

The judge gave the pet store another week to abide by the court order. Melton told Regan each delay is costing him money.

"We're losing thousands and thousands of dollars. We have employees that need to be paid," Melton said.

Neither the owner of the Pet Supermarket nor his lawyer would comment on camera about the case.

WSBTV