An investigation into the dealings of a Coweta, Oklahoma, strip club has led to the arrest of two people accused of operating a brothel. Police say the owner of the Secret Cavern strip club and a woman believed to be his wife were arrested after a four-month-long investigation. The ABLE Commission, District 27 Drug Task Force, Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, and other law enforcement agencies began investigating the strip club at the urging of local residents who said more was going on at the club than just dancing.
According to an ABLE Commission agent who was part of the task force investigating the Secret Cavern, law enforcement officials uncovered significant evidence of prostitution: “The cover it has is an exotic dance club, an adult entertainment club, but it's a brothel. We've got a lot of evidence to show it's a brothel. They're running prostitution out the back. It's set up for that, there's a bed in the back.”
Police say the strip club has come under investigation for prostitution before, but that it has been difficult for local law enforcement to have thorough access to the club because patrons and employees would recognize local police as law officers.
Many people consider prostitution to be a victimless sex crime. Typically in Oklahoma, engaging in prostitution is prosecuted as a misdemeanor, but in some circumstances, it may be considered a felony. Felony prostitution charges result from engaging in prostitution while knowingly infected with HIV, engaging in child prostitution or engaging in prostitution within 1,000 feet of a school or church (§21-1031).
Laws prohibiting brothels or houses of prostitution are outlined in Chapter 39 of the Oklahoma Criminal Code, the section governing obscenity and child pornography.
§21 1025: Bawdy house, etc. Penalty - Every person who keeps any bawdy house, house of ill fame, of assignation, or of prostitution, or any other house or place for persons to visit for unlawful sexual intercourse, or for any other lewd, obscene or indecent purpose, is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be fined in any sum not less than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) nor more than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) for each offense.
§21 1026: Disorderly house - Every person who keeps any disorderly house, or any house of public resort by which the peace, comfort or decency of the immediate neighborhood is habitually disturbed, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
§21 1027: Letting building for unlawful purposes - Every person who lets any building or portion of any building knowing that it is intended to be used for any purpose declared punishable by this article, or who otherwise permits any building or portion of a building to be so used, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
If you have been arrested for engaging in prostitution or solicitation of prostitution, your primary concern may be the impact it can have on your family and your reputation. A qualified defense attorney can handle your case with discretion and still work aggressively to provide a positive outcome.
