POTEAU, OK – The owners of the an adult video store in Pocola, OK have been scheduled for a probable cause hearing in LeFlore County District Court, following an multi-agency undercover operation conducted at the store, according to reports in the Fort Smith, AR-based Southwest Times Record.Adult World owners Don and Wayne Philpot of Sanford, FL, and their business P&P Entertainment, have each been charged with two counts of selling or possessing obscene material for sale, and one misdemeanor count of maintaining a building to allow others to commit lewd acts.
Following an undercover operation in which officers of the Pocola, Panama, and Spiro police departments and district attorney’s office posed as customers in the store, a raid was conducted at Adult World, leading to the seizure of more than 10,000 items of inventory, according to Pocola Police Chief Eric Helms.
During the investigation, the undercover officers reported that they had purchased “obscene materials,” and been approached for sex by other customers.
LeFlore County Assistant District Attorney Margaret S. Nicholson told the Times Record that the obscene materials, five DVDs that allegedly were sold to officers in two separate purchases, were “adjudicated as obscene” by Associate District Judge Ted Knight.
According to Nicholson, state law requires the “adjudication” step before the search warrant could be issued and executed, and that adjudication is the basis for the felony obscenity charges entered against the Philpots.
In addition to the Philpots, 23 other suspects were charged in connection with the sting. Four men were charged with felony sexual battery; according to the Times Record, court records indicate that the men allegedly “tried to entice an undercover officer into having sex or touched an undercover officer inappropriately.”
The other 19 men have been charged with misdemeanor counts of engaging in lewdness, inducing or enticing another to commit an act of lewdness, or soliciting prostitution.
Reports in the Poteau Daily News provided more information concerning the alleged felony sexual battery of undercover officers, as detailed in affidavits filed in district court.
In one of the incidents, a suspect allegedly approached an undercover officer and asked the officer if he would like to have sex in one of the viewing booths inside Adult World. The officer reportedly responded that it was “dirty inside the arcade,” and that they should go back to his house. Rather than take the suspect home, the officer led him into a traffic stop, allowing other officers to gather information for the warrant to be executed at a later date.
Another officer stated in an affidavit that another suspect “exposed himself through a hole in the wall of the booth,” and later attempted to touch the officer “in an unwanted manner.”
The other alleged incidents of sexual battery involved a man who “gave known signal for wanting to perform sexual favors” on an uncover officer and later allegedly attempted to remove the officer’s pants, and another suspect who made “physical sexual advances” towards an undercover officer that had joined him in one of the viewing booths.
During the probable cause hearing for the Philpots, which has been scheduled for May 1st, a judge will determine whether a jury trial should be set for the Philpots, Nicholson told the Times Record.
If convicted on the felony obscenity charged, the Philpots could be sentenced to as many as 10 years in prison, up to $20,000 in fines for each count, or both. The misdemeanor charges carry up to one year in prison, and/or a fin of up to $2,500.
Additionally, the Phipots’ business, P&P Entertainment, could be fined up to $100,000, could have its articles of incorporation revoked and face possible injunctions against any activities the judge declares to be prohibited, according to Nicholson.
Nicholson said the charges entered against the Philpots are the last she expects to file as a result of the Adult World investigation and raid.
