CORSICANA, Texas — A North Texas movie rental chain is accused of giving teenagers access to adult videos, NBC 5 reported.
Movie Gallery said one in five of its 150 stores in Texas do sell adult videos, but its policy forbids selling to minors. Critics of adult videos at Movie Gallery stores said they sent an underage girl shopping at a location in Corsicana with an undercover camera and caught the company violating its policy.
Chasity Hodges’ identification card says she is 17, but hidden camera video shows her entering the Movie Gallery back room that states you must be 18 and show identification. Hodges said she purchased adult videos with no questions asked.
“I think if they are going to do it, they need to sell it to people that’s of age,”said Chasity’s father Ricky Hodges.
Neighbors NBC 5 spoke with in Corsicana agreed.
“Oh, my goodness, I’m surprised at that, that’s very disturbing,” Paula Sullins.
“They should be checking for it to make sure that they are 18 or older,” said Linda Andrews.
A spokesman for Movie Gallery told NBC 5 that employees who violate policy are terminated and the person captured on camera was terminated. He said because the 17 year old was pregnant it made her seem older.
Hodges said she went to the store twice, and the same thing happened with two clerks.
“I purchased it, he never asked to see ID and I left, I came back another day and the same thing happened that day,” Hodges said.
The store released a statement on the matter: “Family entertainment is our business, providing more that 99 percent of our revenues, and notwithstanding the questionable methods used to make this video and the motives of those behind it we certainly regret this unfortunate incident.”
Corsicana police said they have launched an investigation.