NASHVILLE - Local authorities closed House of Thrills — an adult bookstore in downtown Nashville — after a nine-month police investigation into "publicly lewd and unsafe sexual acts."
A criminal court ordered the venue shuttered on Tuesday, though owner Daniel Mevio had closed up shop and taken down the sign voluntarily by the time police arrived to padlock the doors.
According to The Tennessean, House of Thrills failed a random inspection and around 80 arrests have been made there since October for various sexual offenses.
In an effort to crack down on adult-oriented businesses, Nashville authorities have also closed two area strip clubs in the last year for failing to comply with a new, more stringent adult ordinance. Among other restrictions, the 18-month-old adult entertainment law prohibits dancers from coming within three feet of club patrons.
"We're not policing morality," Metro police Sgt. Tony Blackburn told The Tennessean. "But we'll be looking at any public business that allows acts like this."
Legal
- By
