Franklin strip club’s liquor permit faces challenge

A Franklin strip club’s liquor permit renewal might be challenged by the city as a result of a state investigation that resulted in two arrests and several citations against its liquor permit last month.

Franklin City Council is expected to approve a resolution at its meeting today objecting to the renewal of liquor permits of the New York New York Cabaret, 1121 E. Second St., and to seek a hearing before the Ohio Division of Liquor Control at the Warren County Administration Building in Lebanon. All liquor permits in Franklin have a renewal date of June 1, and city council has the right to object to liquor permits.

FIRST REPORT: Strip club faces drug sales charges

City officials say that New York New York has operated in a manner that demonstrates a disregard for state laws and regulations, city ordinances, and constitutes a nuisance.

Among the issues cited by the city include that the applicant and/or its managers are under investigation for crimes that relate to its/their fitness to operate a liquor establishment; have operated the liquor permit business in a manner that demonstrates a disregard for state laws and regulations and city ordinances; are in the habit of using alcoholic beverages or dangerous drugs to excess; the permit premises is so located with respect to the neighborhood that substantial interference with public decency, sobriety, peace or good order would result from the renewal of the permit and operation under it by the applicant; and the permit premises can be declared a nuisance pursuant to state law.

The strip club was charged with drug sales and improper conduct following a three-month investigation by the Ohio Investigative Unit. OIU agents, Franklin police and the Warren County Drug Task Force made the arrests on March 31.

New York New York and Allison Hindy, 22, of Point Pleasant, W. Va., were charged with illegal sexually oriented activity in a sexually oriented business, a first-degree misdemeanor. Hindy is scheduled to be arraigned on the charge at 4 p.m. Tuesday in Franklin Municipal Court.

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A second employee, Kaitlyn Kelly, 19, of Waynesville, was charged with knowingly obtaining, possessing or using a controlled substance/marijuana, a minor misdemeanor. She was arraigned on April 7, entered a no-contest plea and was found guilty. She paid $252 in fines and court costs.

The liquor permit was cited with the following: five counts of drug possession; three counts of drug sales; two counts of drug use; one county of nudity; one count of engaging in sexual activity; one count of solicitation of anything of value; one count of disorderly conduct; three counts of permitting removal of beer or intoxicating liquor sold for on-premise consumption; and one count of unsanitary conditions (fixtures, equipment).

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