Staunton, Virginia [CitizenLink.com]-During the last year and a half, Rick E. Krial spent $150,000 defending his porn business in court.
He says it's not worth it anymore, The News Leader of Staunton, Va., reported.
Staunton Prosecutor Raymond C. Robertson won a conviction against Krial and his company in August on two misdemeanor obscenity charges. The week-long trial pitted Robertson against two of the nation's top obscenity trial lawyers. The porn shop closed after the trial.
"I wasn’t a bit intimidated," Robertson told CitizenLink. "I’ve been doing this stuff for 41 years.
"I’ll bet you a lot more communities in America would find this stuff obscene than not. Some of them are just afraid to go after it."
Krial told the newspaper that if his store stayed open, "They were going to come at me with all the charges they could. Nobody needs this kind of aggravation."
Krial has agreed not to appeal his conviction or reopen the store, The News Leader reported.
Phil Burress, president of Ohio's Citizens for Community Values, has seen similar results in his state.
"The first step is someone needs to call the police department and say, 'Please investigate,' " he said. "If you have an adult bookstore or you have a video store that has a backroom that is selling (obscene) pornography, that is prosecutable in 45 states.
In Milford, Conn., police are doing their part to clean up the community. Six men were arrested during a recent sting at a porn shop. Four were charged with fourth-degree sexual assault, the other two with public indecency.
"The vast majority of the time, when you fight this good fight," Burress said, "you win."
