TOPEKA, KS — Authorities in Shawnee County have a unique definition of what’s “obscene” — and they’re attempting to apply it to six businesses, which currently face criminal charges due to their product inventory.After the area sheriff’s department responded to a local citizen group’s demands for an investigation, DVDs, magazines, and other materials described merely as “objects” were removed from businesses including Sinsations, Adult Entertainment, and Priscilla’s.
A grand jury has now deemed those “objects” to be obscene and has returned several indictments and criminal charges against the six for allegedly promoting obscenity.
Robert Hech, the Shawnee County District Attorney, says that the Kansas obscenity statutes were changed effective July 1st and more clearly explain what constitutes an obscene device. They also criminalized the sale of such devices.
According to Hech, the new statutes stay that “To be obscene, the material must be explicit and graphic sexual nature.”
Civil cases will also be filed against the six businesses and Heck’s office vows to have them declared a public nuisance and padlocked shut for as many as two years.
