WILMINGTON, N.C. - According to informed sources, city investigators who may be affiliated with the Wilmington Police Department have swarmed into Greg Sakas' video store, Intimate Bliss, for the second day, apparently on orders from Assistant City Attorney Delores Williams. Their mission: Write down the name and boxcover description of every one of the "several thousand" adult videos currently in stock in the store.
Sakas has been asked by his attorneys not to speak of the ongoing investigation, and was not available for comment, but a source familiar with the situation in Wilmington observed Sakas being threatened with arrest for "impeding an investigation" when he attempted to ascertain and write down the names and other information of the investigators - whose identification badges were reportedly clipped to their uniforms backwards so as not to be easily visible - and when he attempted to take pictures of the investigators' actions.
The investigation began yesterday morning, and as a result, no customers were seen entering the store that day, while just a handful have entered today, others apparently having been intimidated by the presence of so many uniformed personnel.
The investigation comes directly on the heels of Sakas' court victory just 10 days ago in New Bern, N.C., about 75 miles north of Wilmington. In that case, District Court Judge Peter Mack had found Sakas' store Pure Bliss not to be in violation of the city's zoning ordinances regarding adult businesses, since less than half of its stock was adult videos, and less than half of its income derived from adult - a result that greatly angered New Bern Police Chief Frank Palombo, who, along with his department, currently faces a federal civil rights suit filed by Sakas. It is unknown whether the Wilmington investigation has any connection to Palombo or that lawsuit.
Also unknown is why Sakas' store has been singled out for official interest, since there are two other stores - including one owned by Adam & Eve - which sell or rent adult videos within 11 blocks of Intimate Bliss, and two more in other parts of the port city.
Check back with AVN.com for more information on this troubling situation as it becomes available.
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