BY SAUNDRA AMRHEIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MILLVILLE -- For years, residents of Cincinnati and its suburbs have spilled into Butler County to get their porn.
Now, the effort to wipe it out is following them across the border. In the wake of obscenity charges against Larry Flynt and his brother in Cincinnati last week, anti-porn activists in Butler County say the case's high profile has helped in their attack against what is the region's highest number of shops dealing in X-rated videos.
"I honestly feel what (Hamilton County Prosecutor) Joe Deters is doing will give some renewed life to efforts in Butler County," said Larry Kinkopf, pastor of Grace Christian Church in Fairfield and member of the Fairfield Christian Leadership Association. The association is encouraging members of its congregations to write letters to Fairfield Police Chief Gary Rednour to pursue obscenity charges against five shops in town.
Meanwhile, two adult video store owners in Butler's Millville are facing charges of pandering obscenity.
A Hamilton County grand jury hit Mr. Flynt and his brother, Jimmy, with those same charges April 7 in a 15-count indictment that accused them of corruption and selling obscene videos to a 14-year-old boy.
The indictment capped a six-month saga since Mr. Flynt opened his downtown store last fall.
Mr. Flynt's lawyer, H. Louis Sirkin of Cincinnati, says all the ruckus is not surprising in an election year.
"Every couple of years there's an uprising by the same groups of people," Mr. Sirkin said. "Unfortunately it puts more pressure on the incumbent (Butler County) prosecutor to do something because they say, "Look, Cincinnati is doing something.' "
Butler County Prosecutor John Holcomb scoffed at the idea. "That's just stupid; it doesn't make sense," Mr. Holcomb said Monday.
The only group that influences his decision to bring charges is the police, he said.
"They make the arrest; I prosecute."
Mr. Sirkin also represents Lloyd Davidson, owner of Millville Video, and Peter Tomaino, owner of VIP Video in Millville.
Mr. Davidson is charged with two counts of pandering obscenity following the sale of three videos to an undercover Butler County Sheriff's Department deputy on Feb. 18. The store rents and sells about 3,000 adult videos and another 3,000 mainstream videos. Mr. Tomaino of VIP Video, which has about 2,200 adult videos for sale, was charged in February with two counts of pandering obscenity. Before then, a Butler County grand jury indicted Mr. Tomaino, his store and a clerk for allegedly selling four adult videos to a 17-year-old boy.
Both store owners say their material is legal and in line with community values.
"I want to go to a jury," Mr. Tomaino said. "Let them decide obscenity."
The good news for all three men is that juries have been going easy on defendants in obscenity cases over the past 20 years, said Professor David Goldberger, a specialist in the First Amendment at Ohio State University's College of Law in Columbus.
However, the involvement of children changes the picture, he added.
"Juries are more frequently of the mind that this is not the business of the state," Mr. Goldberger said. "I don't believe the same sympathy is extended where kids are involved."
Phil Burress, president of Citizens for Community Values, said he agrees people have the right to watch pornography in their homes.
"But when you open up a store and start pandering or selling what should be kept private, you affect community standards." The Sharonville-based operation works in 17 counties in northern Kentucky and southeast Ohio and is a vocal opponent of pornography. About 15 to 16 stores in Butler County deal in adult videos, while Hamilton County has no stores other than Mr. Flynt's, he said.
Northern Kentucky and Warren County have no such stores; Clermont County has two.
Though encouraging, the recent cases in Butler and Hamilton counties are just the beginning, Mr. Burress said. It could take a decade's worth of jury trials before residents hammer out their own values.
"This is sending the message the cities are the ones that set their own community standards," Mr. Burress said. "Now Butler County is saying, "We don't want this, either.' "
