WHITEHAVEN, Tenn. – An area strip club was fined $26,500 and placed it on 90-day probation on Wednesday, due to allegations by undercover police of prostitution.
The club will retain its beer permit.
Nearly a dozen undercover police officers appeared before the board describing 35 incidents of prostitution in the last six months.
Club owner Charles G. Westlund told commercialappeal.com that he vehemently denies the charges, insisting statements by police about the arrests of dancers were simply "allegations" and that no one had been convicted.
Westlund went on to tell the report that he's been harassed by police ever since he filed an internal affairs complaint claiming $3,500 in cash went missing after the organized crime unit took control of his club after previously shutting it down.
"It is an open secret ... that their job is to run me out of town," Westlund said. "There are five clubs within a mile of Black Tail, yet I somehow am responsible for 95 percent of the arrests up to November 1st of this year."
Westlund said told commercialappeal.com that he's being unfairly penalized for the previous owners when the club operated as the King of Clubs, which was closed twice before being padlocked in December 2005. Westlund took ownership this year.
In the issue over the beer permit, Westlund accepted the fine in order to stay open, though he told the report he will appeal.
