By Sheila McLaughlin
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Two more Tristate hotels are under prosecutors' investigation for showing in-room adult movies, spurred by complaints from the Sharonville-based Citizens for Community Values.

Red Roof Inn in Clermont County's Union Township and the Marriott at Union Center Boulevard in Butler County's West Chester Township are the latest CCV targets. Members of the organization videotaped adult pay-per-view movies and turned them over to prosecutors this month.

Daniel Breyer, Clermont County's chief criminal prosecutor, confirmed that his staff reviewed the tape of "three or four" vignettes, and plan to present the video to a grand jury for possible criminal charges against the hotel.

"It's hard-core sex," Mr. Breyer said.

Butler County Prosecutor Robin Piper said he has reviewed the videotape from the Marriott and will be writing to the hotel owners. He would not disclose details of the correspondence but said his office was "committed to the prosecution of obscenity."

The hotel is owned by Winegardner & Hammons, the same Blue Ash firm that earlier removed adult pay-per-view from the Marriott Northeast in Warren County under similar circumstances.

William O'Brien, an attorney for Winegardner & Hammons, said officials there had not been contacted by authorities, so he could not comment specifically on the company's next move.

"We would treat any communication from the prosecutor's office as a very serious matter and give very thoughtful and careful consideration to whatever concerns or issues are addressed in their correspondence," Mr. O'Brien said.

A manager at the Red Roof Cincinnati East Beechmont declined comment and referred questions to the hotel owner, Accor North American in Dallas. Corporate officials could not be reached.

"Hard-core porn is not protected by the First Amendment," said CCV President Phil Burress. "I don't care if you're Larry Flynt or Bill Marriott, you should be held to the same standard. Just because you're selling this material in a fancy hotel instead of a XXX-rated bookstore does not change the law."

The latest investigations come three months after CCV took the same approach involving Comfort Suites and Travelodge in Newport, and the Marriott Northeast in Warren County.

Faced with prosecutors' threats of criminal or civil action, all three businesses removed the adult movies.

E-mail smclaughlin@enquirer.com