Sheriff busts strip club in Mississippi

A raid of local businesses resulted in the arrest of four exotic dancers. Montana, Ecstasy, Jenna and Danni were all working at The Pony on Highway 45 Alternate on Thursday night when they were arrested and charged with misdemeanor indecent exposure. The dancers, who wish to only be identified by their stage names, insist that they weren't doing anything wrong. The girls were arrested during a roundup conducted by the Lowndes County Sheriff's Department and the Alcohol and Beverage Commission. The ABC commonly sends undercover minors to local bars and restaurants to ensure businesses aren't illegally serving alcohol to anyone under 21. “The sheriff's department was the lead agency. We just assisted them,” said Kathy Waterbury of the ABC. The Pony was one of several businesses investigated by the LCSD that night. According to witnesses, gentleman who were later learned to be plainclothes deputies accompanied two girls, both under 21, to The Pony Thursday evening. Everyone who enters the establishment must first stop at the door and show identification. If a patron is under 21, they are issued a wristband. If they are over 21, they receive a black X on their hand. Both young women received wristbands at the door. Once the group sat at a table near the stage, a waitress approached them to take their drink order. The waitress, who wished to remain anonymous, had only been working at the gentleman's club for four days. According to a witness who wished to remain anonymous, Lowndes County Deputy Blake Prescott ordered beer for the table. When the waitress returned with the alcohol, Prescott paid for the beer but the minor grabbed the beverage. Montana, who acted as spokesperson for the group, says the girl's wristband was “overlooked, which was a mistake.” According to Montana, at least half a dozen girls had been on stage between the time the undercover group sat down and the time the beer arrived at their table. Each girl performs two songs and “has to take her top off by the end of the second song.” Even though The Pony is classified as a “topless bar,” the girls are given strict dress code instructions. When each girl is hired she is made aware of a list of rules that she must follow. The Pony requires that every girl keep her shoes on at all times, bottoms must always be worn and her areolas must be covered. The girls are allowed to wear an outfit of their choosing and “most of us just wear what looks like a bikini top or a corset and matching skirt.” To make sure they are properly covered once they remove their top, the girls can either wear pasties or tassels, but as of late the girls have begun applying a “glitter glue that you can buy in the craft section at Wal-Mart.” The Crayola glue comes in an array of colors but most girls apply the gold or silver and insist “it's not clear. You can't see anything.” Once the glitter glue is applied, it hardens and can only be taken off with hot water. Lowndes County Sheriff's Department Investigator Ivan Bryan says the glitter glue is not considered proper covering. “Clear glitter glue is not covered.” In addition to the dress code, the girls are not allowed to walk outside in their outfits because Montana says “that's considered prostitution.” The girls are also never allowed to “give out our real names, take a number or give our number.” If any of the girls are caught breaking the rules they are fined by the club. During Thursday night's undercover operation Montana was on stage when she and the other girls began to realize “something was wrong.” Montana states that she and several other girls were on stage performing what is called the “hot seat.” During the hot seat a male or female is brought on stage, sat in a chair, and several of the girls dance around him or her. During Saturday night's hot seat a girl who was at The Pony celebrating her birthday was brought on stage and encouraged to “have fun.” Jenna, who had been on stage dancing when the deputies entered the door, was also one of the dancers on stage for the hot seat. Witnesses say she unzipped her corset, flashed the girl in the seat and promptly zipped her top back up. After the dance ended and the girls were getting off stage one of the other dancers told them to “hurry up and change clothes.” The girls rushed back to the dressing room and began to change into their “casual clothes” when the deputies “burst through the door.” Montana was in the process of changing and “had just unclamped my top” when she says a deputy “gave me a look and asked why I was undressed. I told him I was changing into my casual clothes and he said ‘No, put your top back on.' ” Ecstasy, who has worked at the club for four years, was in what is commonly referred to as a “Champagne Room” but what the girls refer to as the “Topless Room.” She was dancing for a customer when the deputies entered the room and she initially “thought it was a joke.” Ecstasy claims she had the glitter glue applied but Bryan says she was “completely nude. She was bottomless and topless.” The girls were then told to hand over their ID, but the majority of the girls keep all of their belongings outside in their cars. When Montana asked Prescott if she could cover up before walking outside to retrieve her ID he allegedly responded with, “No, you can go out like that.” Montana claims she explained to him that that was illegal but that he refused to listen and made her walk outside in her stage clothes. “I know it's illegal. How could he not? That's just common sense.” Out of over 20 girls working that evening, four were arrested and charged with misdemeanor indecent exposure. The waitress who served the alcohol received a citation in the incident. Both the manager and owner of The Pony were issued citations for lewd conduct. Montana says the girls were all very quiet as they were cuffed and placed in the back of the waiting squad car. She added “We weren't in a position to fight. We weren't in a position to argue.” They were then taken to Lowndes County Adult Detention Center, booked and released later that morning. This is the first charge for indecent exposure for all four. Montana says that three out of the four women are mothers and “none of us can get arrested. We have kids.” For most of the performers the adult entertainment business is their primary job, but Montana sees it as “a stepping stone,” adding, “The hours get to you.” The Pony opens at 4 p.m. and closes at 2 a.m., Sunday through Wednesday and closes at 3 a.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The money, however, can be a draw for most of the girls. On a weekend night a dancer can make an “an average of 600 dollars.” Montana has a part time job during the day and works at The Pony “a couple times a week.” She says all of the girls are “independent contractors” and “make our own money.” “If a guy is drunk or belligerent, I won't even talk to him and I'll avoid him on stage. Some girls can deal with the drunks and the touchy feely but if he gets out of line, he gets kicked out. Most girls don't deal with it,” she said. She further added that she is very well aware of the perception that comes with her job. “Before I started working here I heard dancers were nasty and everyone knows not to touch them. Now, though, I know differently. We're all moms. I don't go out and get drunk like most girls my age. I'm either working or taking care of my child. I only work every other weekend when they're with their dad. If I do work during the week I feed my child, give them a bath, tuck them into bed and only go to work after they're asleep. I can work as much as I want to but I only work a few shifts. We all do. We choose our kids over our job.” Bryan says the detectives weren't there to “pick on these girls. We were there to make sure no one was selling alcohol to minors.” In addition to The Pony, LCSD visited ten bars Thursday night with two other bars receiving citations. Over 60 gas stations, liquor stores, restaurants and bars have been investigated by the detectives and the ABC in the last six months. The detective says the sheriff's office decided to do the most recent raid due in part to concerned parents. “We've had complaints from parents about gas stations, restaurants and bars selling to minors. They don't want these places selling to their children, and neither do we,” he said. The investigation focused on stores that illegally sell cigarettes to minors as well as alcohol. If any of the businesses sold to minors they were issued a citation. In addition to The Pony, Brauhaus Grill and The Bottom Dollar were also cited for selling alcohol to minors.