Sexual misconduct rampant in local bars

Eron Ben-Yehuda

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Nudity, pornography, sex acts -- that’s what police

say you’ll find in many local bars.

The recent spate of sexual misconduct has authorities wondering if Surf

City ought to be called Sin City.

Two popular watering holes are now paying the price. HB Tropics finished

serving a 30-day suspension of its liquor license on Monday. And

Hurricane’s Bar & Grill, which has a long history of run-ins with the

law, will begin serving its 30-day suspension Feb. 10, manager Kerry

Lovett said.

“We broke the rule,” Lovett said.

The most recent incident went down Dec. 28 at the Rhino Room, said

Huntington Beach Police Sgt. Mike Reynolds. About 12 women jumped up on

stage, exposed their breasts, pulled up their skirts, and demonstrated

lewd acts, he said.

On Sept. 9, investigators busted the bar Tumbleweeds, where a man and two

women were engaged in “heavy petting,” he said.

The bar staff not only allowed that behavior to continue, but they

encouraged patrons to watch, he said.

Another club, Gecko’s, aired an animated pornographic videotape Aug. 5,

he said.

Anyone engaging in lewd conduct in public may be charged with a

misdemeanor, Reynolds said. For the entertainment establishments, these

types of violations typically result in a temporary suspension of their

liquor licenses, which basically shuts down the businesses, he said.

That’s what happened to HB Tropics when it celebrated “Porn Night” on

Dec. 5, 1998, which featured adult film star Candied Apples, he said. In

addition to showing an X-rated video, the club allowed women to take

their tops off and simulate sex acts, he said.

As for Hurricane’s Bar & Grill, the nightspot invited radio shock jock

Tom Lykus to broadcast his show from there Nov. 20, 1998, Huntington Beach Lt. Bruce Kelly said. His “claim to fame” is signing his name on

the breasts of “very well-endowed” women, he said. One woman simulated

sex acts with a man in a wheelchair, Reynolds said.

Hurricane’s will shut down during the suspension period, Lovett said. It

will give the owners a chance to change their way of doing business, he

said.

“I’m cleaning up the mess here,” he said.

The owners plan to make Hurricane’s more upscale and family-oriented, he

said.

But Kelly doesn’t expect the bar to shed its bad-boy reputation any time

soon.

“They’re going to be hurting because they’re not known for their

world-renowned food,” he said.

QUESTION

OUT OF CONTROL?

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nightclubs that allow sexual misconduct and lewd behavior? Leave your

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