New Bern, North Carolina- Monday morning Pure Bliss store owner Greg Sakas will be back in court pleading his case before Judge Peter Mack in a non-jury trial.

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“We’re going into court prepared and hopefully we can get this resolved tomorrow,” states Sakas. “I feel confident and I don’t see how we can lose. I truly do not see how we can.”

The story of how Sakas got there now qualifies to be described as a saga. Sakas has been raided twice by cops since January, 2007. His inventory has been confiscated and his civil rights violated. Yet the local press gives hardly any attention to what’s been going on in the city. Sakas thinks it’s because everyone’s running scared of The Christian Coalition.

Sakas is in court on a third degree misdemeanor, yet he’s being treated as though he were Al Capone. Last time in court, eight cops testified and Sakas has been tailed by cops everywhere he goes.

“This is like a major criminal case,” he laughs.

Yet, Sakas hasn’t been accused of obscenity as you might suspect. Rather, this is what he’s been accused of in a case that’s had more custard pie fights than a 3 Stooges comedy short: To date, Sakas has been charged with operating more than one adult business under one roof, maintaining a multi adult establishment, two counts of possession of a toxic substance and two counts of selling a toxic substance.

The toxic substance, by the way, is VHS tape cleaner lest you think that Sakas is an errand boy for the Columbian cartel. And to make it even more jaw-dropping, a cop, the last time Sakas was in court, had to admit that it wasn’t a toxic substance.

In the frequent trips he’s taken to the local police station as a result of this case, Sakas had another one this week that’s for the books. Under his rights, he attempted to find out who applied for a permit to picket his store last Sunday.

Sakas suspected it was The Christian Coalition, although the cops stonewalled him in another attempt to confirm his suspicions. The police chief in the case, Frank Palombo, is apparently running for state office with the Coalition’s backing, so it’s not far-fetched to suspect why Sakas was being given the runaround.

Because of the cops confiscating his sales receipts and records, Sakas has also encountered some tax issues.

“We couldn’t send out W-2’s because we never got our paperwork back from the city,” he says.

After the picketing last week, Sakas walked into the police department and talked to a Captain Sandra McKenzie.

“I wanted to know who signed off on the paper work for that permit,” says Sakas.

“I wanted a copy. The police department has to sign off to approve the picketing. She said you’ll have to go see about it. I said can’t I get one from here and she said I can’t do that. I called my attorney and he told me call them back. I asked to speak to Capt. McKenzie again. She wasn’t there but I told them I was advised [by Sakas’ attorney] I was entitled to a copy of that paperwork. I told them I wanted an answer and I’m entitled to it as a taxpayer. Then they told me I could get one. I said strange I couldn’t get it before.”

When Sakas had his in person discussion with McKenzie this week he was told that it was “the American way” to picket.

“This is our American freedom of speech,” he was also told. “I don’t know if you’re aware of it.”

“I said, captain, you’re telling me about Freedom of Speech? Let me tell you something. I said what do you think about my store that had every movie and magazine and sex toy confiscated by your police department? And you’re telling me about freedom of speech? Or maybe I don’t know what that’s supposed to be. So you try explaining it to me.

“She said I can’t discuss that with you. I said I figured you could. And I’ll tell you what- you tell Palombo I know about freedom of speech and tell him he’ll have a good day Monday. Then she said we don’t have anything more to talk about.”

Sakas finally got his copy of the permit application after more phone calls to discover, as he suspected, that it was issued to the Christian Coalition.

“We’re trying to say through this whole thing that they’re behind this situation in New Born,” continues Sakas. “They pushed, and the chief of police is trying to appease them when there was no evidence. They’re trying to push me out of town and close me down by whatever means possible.”

So far, Sakas guesses he’s lost about $200,000 in store revenues but is willing to stand up for principle even though he doesn’t face jail time.

Sakas says he’s one of the few stores in North Carolina that carries more regular videos and general magazines than adult product.

“They were truly out for one thing- to close us at whatever cost and not even use correct police procedures,” Sakas points out.

According to Sakas, the one good thing about the case is that Judge Mack was appointed by the governor when other federal judges passed on hearing the case due to alleged Coalition pressure.

“This thing is just the biggest farce I’ve ever seen,” Sakas comments.

“You’ve got cases like Max Hardcore to make this seem ludicrous. Forget the adult situation, it’s just ludicrous. We’ve allowed our freedoms to go down the tubes. Too many fingers are being pointed and too much has been made of this farce. Anything can be done in this country under the name of justice. And I don’t feel good about that.”

Under the best possible circumstances, Monday, Sakas said he’d like to make a motion to dismiss but doesn’t think that will happen.

“And the DA isn’t willing to dismiss it anyway,” he adds.

“I don’t think they’ll convict us,” he thinks. “But if they do on this level you wonder what’s going to happen to everyone else in this state? You’ve got places here in this state that don’t take the precautions we do with product. So basically I’m fighting this on my own. Some of the people that I’ve thought would have been there to help – nothing.”

“Hopefully this all comes to an end tomorrow” says Sakas. “Hopefully we’ll get our product back.”

[Appallingly, Sakas has never been given an official record or inventory of the police seizure.]

“But it wouldn’t surprise me if we got several days in court.”

As it stands, the prosecution’s main witness against Sakas is his former manager.

“We’ve got enough on her,” comments Sakas dryly.

“She used our credit cards for her own purposes. And she’s the minister’s daughter.”

Another manager would also have been trotted out as a witness, except Sakas got her arrested and has a case against her for embezzlement.

Between his confiscated movies, dildos and magazines, Sakas imagines that the New Bern cops have been having a party at his expense.

Sakas has also wanted to tell his story to 20/20 or 60 Minutes but has been advised by counsel to keep from volunteering it.

The fact that the local news media has been avoiding the issue like the plague also has Sakas wondering.

“And I’ve been trying to talk to Free Speech,” Sakas adds. “I’ve left messages recently and they haven’t returned my phone calls.”