STAUNTON, Va. — A local adult store owner has been indicted on 16 felony and misdemeanor charges for selling titles which a grand jury deemed obscene. According to a recent report, the six-person Staunton grand jury spent Thursday morning viewing parts of 12 adult titles bought at After Hours Video from Oct. 15 to Oct. 18.
After Hours Video — Staunton’s first adult business — and its owner, Rick E. Krial, have raised controversy since the shop opened its doors last month. Staunton Prosecutor Raymond C. Robertson has spearheaded the charge against area adult businesses, vowing to keep them out of Staunton by presenting cases to the grand jury.
Robertson was also a featured speaker at Staunton City Hall last month as city officials and anti-porn protestors gathered for a Stop Porn Forum organized by the Staunton Republican Committee.
First Amendment attorney Paul Cambria told AVN that he is currently in talks with Krial about representing him. "We have a lot of experience with representing these types of cases in and around Manasess.I successfully represented Max Hardcore there, and the Washington Post printed an article the next day saying that prosecuting these types of cases was a waste of time and the next indictment should be against the prosecutors themselves...this is the Washington Post stating this."
“This is selective prosecution,” Krial told the the Staunton News-Leader. In addition to After Hours Video, Krial owns 11 other adult business in Virginia and Maryland. “[Other area adult stores] are running scared because Ray Robertson is handing out felony charges. It is what it is. Everybody's going to have their day in court.”
The store opening, and ensuing controversy, also generated a petition drive supporting After Hours Video. Krial told the News-Leader that more than 800 people had signed the petition that's being circulated at his store.
Undercover agents and local police took part in the investigation. Authorities had targeted other adult stores, but Krial was the only person charged.
