By Jim Hannah
The Cincinnati Enquirer

COVINGTON - Undercover officers have arrested five women in what Covington officials said was an attempt to halt prostitution at a dance club next to the Kenton County Administration Building.

Debbie Rothan, 35, of Bellevue; Tanya Owens, 21, of Florence; and Carrie Kinzeler, 27, of Covington were charged with prostitution and violation of the city's sexually oriented business ordinance.

The women took customers of Liberty's Show Lounge on Scott Boulevard to a back booth for illegal sexual activity, said Lt. Col. Mike Kraft of Covington police.

Deborah Craig, 53, of Newport, and Rebecca Hughes, 46, of Covington were charged with facilitation to prostitution. Hughes and Craig, who both worked as barmaids, took tips to serve as lookouts, Kraft said.

The five pleaded not guilty during separate arraignments earlier this week.

Kraft said undercover officers visited the club twice before issuing arrest warrants Friday. He said an officer was offered sex in exchange for money within seven minutes of entering the club.

The city suspended the sexually oriented licenses of the women arrested.

Workers in sexually oriented businesses in Covington are required to register with the city and obtain a license. Violations that triggered the suspensions were touching a customer, being closer than 3 feet to a customer, depicting a sexual act and accepting a payment or gratuity.

Kraft said officials hope to revoke the club's occupational license and liquor license.

An employee at the club, which remained open on Tuesday, declined to comment on the arrests.

The charges are the latest crackdown on what officials say is prostitution in Covington. In October, commissioners began regulating massage parlors they claimed were used as fronts for prostitution. The regulations resulted in the closure of about a dozen massage parlors. There are three massage parlors still in operation in the city.

The only massage establishment not cited by police under the new regulations was Reverie Therapeutics at 520 Main St., whose owner had asked the city to adopt tougher regulations to get rid of businesses alleged to be fronts for prostitution.

"Police will continue to investigate businesses we receive complaints against," Kraft said. "That's what we did in the case of Liberty's (Show) Lounge."

E-mail jhannah@enquirer.com