Ohio - from www.cincinnati.com - The crackdown on sexually oriented businesses in Clermont County could continue, spurred by concerns raised by the Citizens for Community Values.
"There are things that are going on that should be checked out," said Phil Burress [pictured], president of the Sharonville-based group.
Burress said he and other members had passed along to Union Township and county officials information about several businesses that appeared to be violating state or local laws.
"They are a terrible blight on any community," Burress said. "It is not a liberal or conservative issue. It's a matter of living in a community that's safe for everybody."
Sexually oriented businesses often lead to drug use and prostitution, which victimize women, Burress said. He added that such businesses also can boost crime and decrease the value of nearby property.
Representatives of two adult-oriented businesses have faced criminal or civil court cases in the three months since CCV members met at a local church with County Commissioner Bob Proud, Assistant Prosecutor Daniel "Woody" Breyer and Union Township Administrator Ken Geis.
The investigation of another sexually oriented business mentioned by Burress and the CCV at the March 30 meeting is under way, said a law-enforcement official who declined to discuss details.
Burress sent an e-mail Friday to CCV members in Clermont County, encouraging them to attend the next meeting of Union Township trustees to offer thanks and support for recent law-enforcement efforts. Trustees meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Union Township Civic Center, 4350 Aicholtz Road.
"Union Township officials will come under attack by the sex industry, and we must support them," Burress said in the e-mail.
One place Burress and other CCV members had complained about was Déjà Vu, a strip club on Old Ohio 74 in Union Township.
As a result of a police raid last Thursday, 13 dancers and three managers face criminal charges ranging from prostitution to illegally operating a sexually oriented business.
On April 6, a week after the CCV meeting with local officials, Union Township filed a complaint in Common Pleas Court that cited a zoning violation as the reason a judge should order the closure of Naughty Bodies, which provides dancers who strip for customers throughout Greater Cincinnati. Owner Sean Casey recently moved its headquarters to neighboring Brown County.
