HAMILTON, New Jersey — from www.trentonian.com – Cops raided Hamilton’s only porn shop this morning and arrested four men allegedly engaged in acts of lewdness in a back room of the store.
Mayor John Bencivengo said after the raid at VideoXPress is the result of a month-long police undercover work that stemmed from complaints about the shop from neighborhood residents.
Arrested were:
* William Pyne, of Jamison Pa., owner of Video Express. Pyne is charged with maintaining a nuisance.
* Sandra L. Helsel, 48, of Burlington, is charged with maintaining a nuisance. Helsel is the manager of Video Express.
* Sheldon Karpowitz, 63, of Titusville., is charged with lewdness.
* John Malloy, 62, of Hamilton, is charged with lewdness.
* Alec Booker, 20, Kendall Park, is charged with lewdness.
* Rene Valladores, 49, of Mercerville, is charged with lewdness.
According to police, a citizen had located information online regarding the Route 33 business which indicated people were passing information and arranging meetings at the shop to have sexual relations.
During the investigation, officers discovered patrons of the business were exposing themselves and/or masturbating in X-rated video booths. These booths, police said, are open to a common hallway in the store that can be viewed by the public.
Police also confiscated about $5,000 possibly connected to the illegal activity.
Situated in a little building considered an eyesore, VideoX-Press appealed in May for local permission to expand — something township leaders have repeated denied the owners ever since the place opened in the early 1970s.