Melton Says Adult Store Taped Patrons
Mayor Frank Melton says he has had enough. After re-opening late last week, it was business as usual at the A.V.C video store on Terry Road.
Now two people have been arrested, the doors are closed, and the mayor hopes the courts will take action.
Police tape seals off the entrance to the novelty store. Friday night police went back and found the same activity.
“It is over. We are going to close them down and get them out of town,” said Melton.
On July 28th, officers raided the business and found patrons engaged in sexual activity. Adult paraphernalia, banned in Mississippi, was seized.
Around 11:30 Friday night police arrested the stores manager and one patron who Melton says solicited a police officer for sex.
But this time authorities noticed something else. Inside the booths in the back, Melton says patrons were being watched.
“There are cameras all over the place, and I didn’t learn until last time I was in there the other night that he is videotaping all of these acts and putting them on the internet and selling them.”
The mayor says that violates federal law. The store’s owner lives in New Orleans, and the mayor says he will get theF.B.I. involved.
“The things that have been going on, its been there. It just took Frank going in and seeing what was really going on,” said Rene Moore.
Moore runs Collins Dream Kitchen, next door to the novelty store. For nine years, she has watched people come and go.
“It was business as usual. This was just a normal thing,” Said Moore. She is happy the city is taking action.
The mayor says he will personally ask a chancery court judge to close the shop down.
“I want to go into a court of law and have someone explain to me why this is consistently goes on right down the street from a playground and across the street from a church,” said Melton.
WLBT
8/8/5
