Columbia County sheriff's deputies won't have to watch a huge collection of porn films after all. This means an adult video storeowner is off the hook for violating community standards.
They expected having to make a virtual porn festival out of screening every one of 1,304 videos confiscated from Adult Movie Video to determine if they were obscene under law, but prosecutors and the store's owner, James Cox, have agreed to destroy the tapes in return for charges against Cox being dropped.
Deputies seized the tapes in late February after a citizen's complaint. Cox has maintained the tapes were nothing more drastic than cable television versions of adult-oriented films. He tells the Associated Press he agreed to the settlement deal because he's 68, works full time, and couldn't afford a drawn-out court fight on the matter. Prosecutors say the deal helps both sides - freeing Cox and getting the material out of the area.
