Adult Depot owner pleas guilty, agrees to close store

The owner of a southern Laurel County pornography store has agreed to never reopen it in exchange for leniency in regards to criminal charges against him.
Steve Hale, owner of The Adult Depot, pleaded guilty last week in Laurel District Court to charges he operated an adult-oriented business without a special permit and for distributing obscene material – both misdemeanor offenses.
Pursuant to the agreement, the distribution of obscene material charge was set aside for two years provided Hale holds up his end of the deal. He received a 30-day suspended sentenced for the other charge and must pay a $250 fine, plus $139 in court costs. The agreement also makes permanent a temporary injunction against the store issued Nov. 7 by Laurel Circuit Judge Greg Lay. The ruling came after a two-day hearing in which Laurel County Attorney Elmer Cunnagin, and lawyers for Hale argued over the fate of the store.
The Adult Depot has been a flashpoint of controversy since intentions of its opening surfaced in February. Hale at first said he was indecisive about whether the location would be made an adult store or an ATV accessories shop.
In March the Laurel County Fiscal Court passed a strict ordinance regulating adult-oriented businesses – following suit behind several other area cities and counties. The law requires steep business license fees, employee fees, square-footage requirements and mandates at least a 1,000-foot setback from any public access road.
The ordinance was the central issue during the Nov. Circuit Court hearing. Laurel County officials contended Hale was provided with proper paperwork to apply for an adult-oriented business license, but never did. Hale’s attorney’s claimed the county intentionally stalled attempts to obtain the paperwork, so the Adult Depot opened simply to begin generating revenue. Hale said he did finally receive the forms, but never did make a formal application.
After a month-long investigation into activities at the store, Laurel County Sheriff’s Deputies descended on The Adult Depot Aug. 16 and arrested two employees: Dezzera Jordan, 19, and Christopher Price, 22, both of Pioneer, Tenn., were charged with operating an adult-oriented business without a permit and distributing obscene material. Police tried to serve arrest warrants on Hale and store manager Donna Clark. Both later surrendered to police.
Charges against Price, Jordan and Clark are still pending.
While not officially closing the store, the raids seemed intended to do just that. Police said anyone caught selling pornographic magazines, DVD or other material would be arrested. The store closed shortly after the raids and opened only for a brief time in September before being closed by Lay’s ruling.
Laurel County officials won a court battle in the late 1990s against Fantasy World – a similar business located on West KY 80 just outside London. The owner was found guilty of distributing obscene material and was fined $500. That same store sought an adult-oriented business license from the county’s fiscal court in Oct. but was denied because the motion to grant the permit died for lack of a second. The store appears to meet all the requirements of the ordinance.
Fantasy World remains in operation. Laurel County Judge Executive Lawrence Kuhl said storeowner Betty Clark could re-petition the fiscal court for a permit, or that the issue could be raised by magistrates at a future meeting.