Teens on undercover video seen engaged in sexual activity, not dancing, law officers say

F'ville attorney charges preteens as young as 10 allowed into club; gang activity, weapons, fighting and alcohol use alleged

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@thecitizennews.com

A lawyer for owners of The Market teen club in Fayetteville Monday characterized a police investigation of the club as “a witch hunt.”

But when Superior Court Judge Paschal English viewed a videotape of dancing at the club Friday, he said the activity amounted to a “dry orgy.”

Fayette Chief Magistrate A.K. Melear Monday afternoon set a $60,000 bond for club operator Taylor Alexander Williams after he spent the weekend in the Fayette County Jail while The Market remained closed under the court order.

Williams, 38, posted bond and was released from jail Monday evening after 10 p.m. According to jail records, the bond totalled $66,150 and was posted through Fayette Bonding. He was arrested Friday for misdemeanor charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and providing harmful materials to a minor during the operation of the teen club. Williams also was charged with one felony count of reproducing previously recorded material after police found what they believe are pirated CDs.

In a press conference Friday, police said Williams had given a false name, but during the hearing Monday, Williams' lawyer, Michael Bergin, said his client had legally changed his name to Williams from Myron Moorehead while he was in California. Authorities revealed Friday that a fingerprint check on Williams indicated that his name was actually Myron Moorehead.

During the bond hearing Monday, Maj. Bruce Jordan of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department pointed out that Williams also gave police two different dates of birth. He questioned whether Williams could legally change his birthdate.

Jordan also stated that Williams was wanted in Chicago for “weapons violations.” But Chicago authorities did not want to extradite him, said Fayetteville Police Lt. Linda Lash.

Bergin said his client couldn't make the $50,000 bond recommended by the state. He also told Melear that Williams' wife and three children depend on him as their sole source of income and the family lives in a $400,000 home.

Bergin also argued that dancing at the club, which police have said resembles sexual activity more than dancing, was not Williams' fault. “These are not dances he taught them,” Bergin said of his client. “To be popular with the kids, you have to hire the DJs they want.”

The attorney also pointed out that the club contracted with police officers from Fayetteville to provide private security.

Melear set the bond for the felony charge at $50,000 as requested by police, and added $5,000 for each of the two misdemeanor charges.

After the hearing, Bergin said he did not know whether the corporation operating the club, Platinum Holdings Inc., would post Williams' bond.

Clifford E. Levingston, a former professional basketball player with the Atlanta Hawks who police say is a co-owner of The Market, turned himself in Monday at noon and posted a $30,000 consent bond, Jordan said. He faces the same charges as Williams.

The Market was shut down temporarily after a court hearing Friday. Superior Court Judge Paschal English issued a temporary restraining order against the operation of the club after he saw an undercover video shot at the club by an operative from the Fayette County Sheriff's Department.

After seeing the video, English said the youths involved appeared to be imitating sexual acts.

Jordan said he wants to allow local parents to watch the video to see if their children are caught on the tape.

If so, the parents could decide to file other charges on their own, Jordan said. But the Sheriff's Department is waiting for a ruling on that from the district attorney's office, Jordan added.

During Monday's bond hearing for Williams, Bergin claimed the CDs confiscated from the club were the property of a disc jockey the club had hired as an independent contractor. Jordan confirmed that the CDs were taken from a booth area of the club, which Bergin contended was the disc jockey's area.

The Sheriff's Department began its investigation back in June when a parent complained of gang activity at the club, Jordan testified. He also said one adult had watched inside the club at a special viewing room, but other adults who attempted later were denied access to that room.

The viewing area was shut down after the Fayetteville police officers quit performing security at the club, Bergin said after the bond hearing. He added that authorities also seized financial records from the club during a search warrant that was executed Friday.

When Bergin tried to characterize the type of dancing as that seen on cable TV stations, Jordan said he watched those stations over the weekend and didn't see dancing like the dancing caught on tape by the undercover operative.

“They're not just bumping up against each other,” Jordan said. “They're having sustained contact for periods of time.”

The video was taken at The Market July 7 by an undercover operative for the Sheriff's Department. An edited version of the video played in court depicted one couple “dancing” totally flat on the floor, with one dancer on top of the other.

“That happens to be the style and manner of dancing today,” Williams said. He later admitted that some people might consider the dancing “sexual in nature.”

“It's much better that the kids be in public view,” Bergin argued.

Fayetteville City Attorney David Winkle said the dancing was “obscenity the community is no longer willing to tolerate.” He argued that the operation of The Market constitutes a public nuisance.

“There are reports of gang activity, unlicensed weapons possession, fighting and alcohol,” Winkle said during a hearing last Friday.

Winkle said police have reported youths as young as 10 years old allowed into the club. He also pointed out that the club originally was represented as a Christian-oriented hangout for teens.

Bergin claimed that race also was a factor in motivating the case against Williams, and threatened that the city of Fayetteville would face a civil rights lawsuit for shutting the club down.