[One Newsnow,com]- The owner of a Virginia pornography store has been convicted of violating the state's obscenity laws and could face a felony prosecution unless he closes his business.
Rick Krial, owner of the After Hours Video store in Staunton, Virginia, was convicted of one misdemeanor count of pandering obscenity after a jury reviewed videos he sold. Pat Trueman, special counsel to the Alliance Defense Fund and former chief obscenity prosecutor for the Justice Department, explains why he feels the conviction "reverberates across the nation."
"You had a porn shop move into Staunton, Virginia -- and the prosecutor said, 'Wait a minute! You're not going to sell obscenity in my town.' He brought a prosecution against the business," Trueman points out. "The business brought in two of the most prominent defense attorneys in the country, and the business owner was convicted."
Trueman praised local Prosecuting Attorney Raymond Robertson for going after a conviction on simple, hard-core pornography -- which, according to Trueman, the Justice Department will not pursue.
"This prosecutor showed [that]...you can win a conviction on just 'regular' hard-core pornography," he remarks. "That's what I think is so critical."
And that victory, asserts Trueman, should inspire prosecutors around the country. "You've got a small town prosecutor winning. [So] why can't the Justice Department win?" he asks. "It's the same type of material that they could be prosecuting. It's the same defense attorneys. Juries are juries whether you have one in a small town or a federal jury -- it doesn't matter. This prosecutor showed us something, and he's to be congratulated."
Trueman believes Krial will close the porn shop rather than face the possibility of a felony conviction if he is arrested again.
