Strip club owners file lawsuit claiming $5 per customer 'pole tax' is unconstitutional

Strip club owners in a lawsuit say a $5 'pole tax' is unconstitutional.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Strip club owners in Houston are now taking their fight against a pole tax to court.

Lawyers representing Houston strip club executives have now filed a lawsuit claiming the new $5 per customer fee is unconstitutional.

The city passed the fee back in June. It's expected to raise about $3 million per year; money that will be used to help the city process untested rape kits.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local

View the original article here

New HPD uniform may strip 'Space City' off shoulder patch

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The Endeavour's short visit, while celebrated, was a sharp reminder that Houston lost out on displaying any of the retired space shuttles it helped guide through NASA's 30-year program.

And now, the shoulder patch that reads "Space City" could also be stripped, at least from a prominent uniform.

The design discussions have been underway for months at employees' request, according to Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland. But one suggestion is drawing a lot of attention after the huge crowds that gathered to say goodbye to the last space shuttle to ever fly to Houston.

If there is any doubt that Houston isn't still enthralled by the shuttle and NASA, consider that by HPD's own estimate, 200,000 people poured into Ellington Field to see a shuttle for the last time, as Endeavor paused on the way to its permanent home in Los Angeles. And the fact that Texas didn't get a retired shuttle is still a sore spot for some.

"I wanna pop the tires so they can't leave again. It should be in Houston," one Houstonian told us.

NASA helped put Houston on the map, creating the term Space City, USA. And it was incorporated into the shoulder patches on HPD uniforms that are still worn today. But for how much longer?

"Change is not a bad thing, Deborah. It's not," Chief McClelland told us.

The department is considering a change of uniforms, from light blue to dark and from dress pants to cargo pants. Even the badges may be changed.

And then there's the shoulder patch. There are four options, three of which read "Justice with Mercy." Only one has the familiar Space City, USA with flight paths circling the globe.

"I see no connection between the Houston Police Department and NASA, except for NASA is located in Houston and we're responsible for public safety in the city of Houston," the chief said.

HPD employees have been asked to give their opinions on the new uniform options, including the shoulder patches. The Houston Police Officers Union's Mark Clark prefers the Space City version.

"NASA will always have been in Houston and Houston will always have been the place where the first man who ever stepped on the moon, he didn't mention New York and didn't mention Los Angeles, it was Houston," Clark said.

Ultimately, it will be the department's decision. The police chief says the officers' preferences will affect the final choice. There is a chance though the patch that was part bragging right may go the way of the shuttle.

McClelland says it will be the police officers who will make the decisions, even though the union will continue to push for its preferences.

Voting concludes September 27.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

houston police department, local, deborah wrigley

View the original article here

Judge denies motion to dismiss in strip club fight

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The battle between Harris County and the Houston strip club Treasures continues today. Closing arguments are underway in a civil trial that could result in the club being temporarily shut down.

Attorneys for the city and county say they've proven Treasures is a public nuisance, insisting the management has allowed drugs and prostitution to exist in the club for years. The suit even claims Treasures allows human trafficking.

One plaintiff's attorney argued, "We have shown ample evidence, your honor, that this is what happens when you go into Treasures. We've shown convictions for prostitution of dancers at Treasures."

They presented evidence of 41 arrests and nine convictions over nearly a four-year period.

That attorney went on to say, "Both arrests and convictions are evidence of knowing toleration of criminal activity."

Treasures argues that it has taken steps to curb crime, maintaining, they say, a zero-tolerance policy for illegal activity. They presented evidence that managers consistently patrol the club looking for sex or drugs. They also make dancers sign forms, saying they know they'll be fired for prostitution or drugs.

Tonya Garrison, attorney for Treasures, said, "They haven't told us what they want. Do they want the VIP rooms closed? Do they want the lights turned on? You could give an order to the judge that they need to have two guys dressed up like chickens with signs that say 'No Prostitutes.' That would be unreasonable."

The judge will decide whether to close Treasures temporarily while the case works its way toward trial. It could be a temporary closure, according to legal documents, of up to one year.

Stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for the latest on this story.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local, kevin quinn

View the original article here

Battle between county and Treasures strip club continues in court

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- We have the latest developments now in a battle between the county and a local strip club accused of being a nuisance.

County and city leaders want Treasures shut down, saying it's a haven for drugs, prostitution, and human trafficking.

We expect a judge to decide soon whether Treasures can be considered a public nuisance and whether it should be shut down. One thing the judge must consider is whether club owners did anything to limit the amount of prostitution and drug sales there.

Located near the Galleria, the Treasures strip club has been in business since 1995. According to court documents, there have been 43 arrests there between 2008 and May of this year. Among them, allegations of prostitution, and delivery of a controlled substance.

The city and county say this proves that some people habitually go to Treasures seeking out sex and drugs.

"They're not doing anything about it. It continues to go on," said Sr. Assistant Harris Co. Attorney Fred Keys Jr.

But an attorney representing Treasures argued in court that the case the city and county have alleged is legally insufficient.

Tanya Garrison, attorney for Treasures, told the judge, "They have failed to put in any evidence that proves habit."

Attorneys for the county and city argued that the cases date back more than three years. That if nothing else, that alone proves the club an ongoing nuisance. Our legal analyst however says that's not enough.

"These statistics over four years show me that the place has problems; it's not a common nuisance," said KTRK Legal Analyst Joel Androphy.

Judge Alexandra Smoot-Hogan ordered us not to show any of the dancers set to testify, saying it could threaten their safety and security.

Treasures Manager George Marino testified Thursday that the club has a zero tolerance policy, and that dancers would be terminated if they even agreed to be involved in drugs or prostitution.

Treasures has filed a federal lawsuit against the city and county, claiming civil rights violations. They say officials are retaliating against the club because Treasures fought and won the right not to be considered a sexually oriented business.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local, kevin quinn

View the original article here

Fate of strip club remains in judge's hands

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A Galleria area strip club is locked in a court battle that will determine if it should be shut down. The city and county both have accused Treasures of being a haven for prostitution, human trafficking, and drug use. Both sides were back in front of a judge on Friday.

The defense was putting on its case until late in the afternoon, trying to prove it has taken appropriate steps to curb illegal activity in the club.

Attorneys for the city and county played surveillance video showing the entrance at Treasures. They point out more than one dancer that particular day partially exposed -- an apparent violation, they say, of the strip club's own policy against showing certain portions of the body.

Plaintiff's attorney Fred Keys, Jr., said, "If you're seeing this at the front door, you can imagine what's taking place inside."

Keys notes that even managers who saw the dress didn't appear to stop the dancers.

The city and county are trying to prove that Treasures is a place where prostitution and drugs run rampant. They want a judge to deem it a public nuisance in order to shut it down. KTRK legal analyst Joel Androphy says that is not likely.

"The purpose of this lawsuit is to scare them into compliance, is to force Treasures to comply more with the law," Androphy said. "That's all this is about."

Testifying for the defense on Friday was a waitress who has worked at Treasures for the last year. In that time she says she has never seen prostitution.

She did testify however that on several occasions, "A dancer would get too close to a customer and start rubbing inappropriately."

The waitress says she would report it to a manager and that the customer would be removed and the dancer fired. She says the club has a strict policy on prostitution and drug use. The city and county claim 43 arrests dating back to 2008 prove a history of illegal activity there.

Attorneys for Treasures presented several forms that dancers have to sign showing they acknowledge they can be terminated for anything illegal including prostitution or drugs while on the job. They say they have taken this and other steps in order to limit such activity.

If the judge doesn't believe this and considers it a nuisance, she can shut Treasures down.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local, kevin quinn

View the original article here

New strip club tax proposal aimed to help reduce rape kit backlog

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- It is budget day at City Hall. Today is when council members begin hammering out the Houston city budget.

It doesn't appear that the city is facing a repeat of the shortfall and layoffs from last year, but there are some amendments that may stir up some controversy.

Having no layoffs on the table is certainly better news this year over last. As for the most controversial topic, the pole tax was separated from the rest of the city council budget because it is such a big issue.

Council Member Ellen Cohen is proposing a fee of about $5 for every patron who walks through the door of a Houston strip club. The money would then be used to pay for testing of the thousands of backlogged rape kits.

Council Member Cohen passed a similar bill when she served in the state legislature, and now she wants the city to do the same, and she is imploring her colleagues to do their jobs.

"While I can't promise when the first dollar would come in, and I can't promise that there won't be litigation, I can promise you that if we do nothing, nothing will get done," Cohen said.

The proposal seemed to have broad support throughout the council, but they did delay the vote for a week amid such questions as how will it will be determined the number of patrons who visit a strip club and how the tax will be enforced.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Get more Local »

local, miya shay
// perform JavaScript after the document is scriptable.OTV.common.modules.promoCarousel.promoCarouselInit("/ktrk/xml?id=5758258&ptnr=promoCarousel");

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

View the original article here

Treasures strip club facing lawsuit by city, county

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Treasures, a strip club which has operated on Westheimer since 1995, is under fire from the city of Houston and Harris County for allegedly allowing everything from drug sales to prostitution to human trafficking to go on inside.

The county and city attorneys filed a suit Wednesday declaring Treasures a nuisance and seeking to have a permanent injunction against Treasures based on police reports of arrests made at the strip club dating back to 2008.

Treasures' lawyer flat out denied the allegation and says the business is being targeted because it has fought and won the right to operate in Houston without being classified as a sexually oriented business. Their lawyer predicts the case will be dismissed.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local

View the original article here

Victim's family sues strip club for allegedly over-serving drunk driver

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Too drunk to walk, but this man gets in a vehicle, drives away, and kills a teenage girl. Now the victim's family says the strip club he left that night should share the blame.

The drunk driver in the case has been convicted and is being punished. But an attorney for the family of the victim says the business he visited that night should also pay.

The victim's family is suing Legs Cabaret, the strip club which they say over-served alcohol to a patron who then drove drunk, and killed a beautiful young woman who had her whole life ahead of her.

Jasmine Smith, 18, was riding home with a friend last April on the Gulf Freeway when the vehicle she was in was rear-ended. It slammed into the guard rail and rolled. She was ejected. She died eight days later.

Loren Zoellers was convicted earlier this month of intoxication manslaughter, and given probation and 120 days in jail.

Now Smith's family is suing the bartender and the strip club that supplied his alcohol before the wreck.

"The bar is who holds the responsibility," said plaintiff's attorney, Will Womble.

He gave us this video which he says is from inside Legs Cabaret, showing Zoeller allegedly being served mixed drinks repeatedly over the course of nearly five hours before the wreck.

"What you see on the video is drink after drink, pour after pour, Mr. Zoellers is being served a mixed beverage -- seven different times," said Womble.

He says you can see what appears to be Zoellers at one point standing at the bar, unsteady. As he leaves at 2am, Zoellers walks out the front door and stops to shake the hand of a bouncer, staggering then across the parking lot where he falls and rolls across the grass before getting into his truck. Zoellers gets in the vehicle and backs into a building before driving off without turning his headlights on.

"He has not clue what is going on at this point. He is a clear danger to himself and others. He should have never gotten as far as he did," Womble said.

The wreck that killed Jasmine Smith happened just 19 minutes later.

Zoellers' blood alcohol level was measured at .20 -- nearly three times the legal limit.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving says this case highlights a problem with enforcement of laws that govern businesses that serve alcohol.

We were not able to find the bartender and an attorney for Legs Cabaret has not returned our calls for comment.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local, kevin quinn

View the original article here

Woman crashes car into strip mall

A female driver crashed her car through a strip mall store Friday afternoon in northwest Houston. (Jesus Amaya)

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A woman crashed her car through a strip mall store Friday afternoon in northwest Houston.

The incident happened at 1957 West T.C. Jester Blvd. Authorities on the scene say the female driver's brakes failed and the car drove into an empty store front. Police say she was on her way to a nearby hair salon when it happened.

They say the woman was checked out by EMS, then went to the salon.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local

View the original article here

Comic Book and Strip Service

Courses and services to help the aspiring comic creator and seasoned comic creator make successful comics.

Check it out!