DES MOINES, Iowa - A case over a strip club in southeast Iowa could cause problems for such establishments throughout the state.
Under a loophole in Iowa's public indecent exposure law, nude dancing is allowed at arts centers and similar sites.
But a Fremont County judge is considering a case in which a Hamburg business owner was charged with violating the law after a 17-year-old girl danced naked at his club last summer.
A lawyer for owner Clarence Judy says "dance has been considered 1 of the arts."
But county attorney Margaret Johnson says it's all nonsense. She asks, "are you saying that minors can't be protected?"
Both sides say they could appeal the judge's decision, and that would take it to the Iowa Court of Appeals and perhaps the Iowa Supreme Court. That would make it a statewide case that could affirm the right of the dozens of clubs in Iowa or deem them in violation of state law.
