Dallas County frees 16th innocent man, City closes strip club loophole
Many were troubled by the story of a 12 year old that was allowed to strip in a local night club. What was just as bad was a loophole in the Dallas city charter which allowed them to remain open after the incident. Here are changes that the city council approved on Wednesday to address the problem:
- Prohibiting a sexually oriented business from allowing a minor to enter the premises, employing a minor, or allowing a minor to perform
- Requiring sexually oriented businesses to keep files with documentation of identity, age and criminal history background check on operators and entertainers
- Requiring a sexually oriented business to name designated operators. One must always be present during operating hours
- Reducing the effective date for license suspension or revocation from 30 days to 10 days
- Prohibiting private and enclosed VIP rooms
This is good, swift work by the mayor and the council. These changes go into effect on Monday.
Source – Pegasus News
Also on Wednesday Thomas Clifford McGowan was freed after spending 23 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Dallas County has set more prisoners free (16) than any other county in the nation. Barry Scheck of the Innocence Project was one of the attorneys who worked on Mr. McGowan’s case.
Read Jennifer Emily’s Dallas Morning News story here.
