Bakersfield, CA- A strip club in Bakersfield is raided as part of an on-going investigation into underage prostitution. Kern County Sheriff officers surrounded the "Teaser Pleaser" club on Buck Owens Boulevard Friday afternoon.
Sgt. J.R. Rodriguez says officers had a search warrant to look for evidence related to a case they started in mid-September. At the club, officers pulled out a few people for questioning, and detectives reportedly looked through the club for evidence.
"It has to do with the illegal acts of prostitution utilizing minors and also the illegal use of photographic imagery of minor females," Sgt. Rodriguez told Eyewitness News.
In September, officers arrested 36-year-old John Knutson. Detectives served a search warrant at Knutson's home where officers say they found sexually explicit nude photos of underage girls on a computer.
Investigators say the case involves two 15-year-old girls and a 16-year-old they believe had been photographed in explicit sexual poses. They believe the girls were involved in prostitution and advertised for an escort service in Bakersfield and the southern California area.
Sheriff officials say the investigation started with the case of a missing girl. Her parents allegedly found nude photos of their daughter on a cell phone.
Friday, at the "Teaser Pleaser," Sgt. Rodriguez said the club may have a connection to the case. "We know that one of the individuals that was an underage female had worked at this location on an occasion," he said.
Sgt. Rodriguez said it would be illegal for an underage person to work at the club, he would not say if any underage employees were found at the "Teaser Pleaser" on Friday.
The officer described the case as very serious. "What's happened is we've discovered there were some young females that were subjected to prostitution by older males in the Kern County area," he said.
No arrests were made in connection with the action on Friday, and Sgt. Rodriguez would not say if other locations will be searched as part of the investigation.
