Felony charges filed against 2 in porn bust

Prosecutors in St. George have filed felony pornography charges against a business owner accused of selling hard-core pornography out of a back room in her tattoo and body piercing studio.

Susan Russell was arrested after police raided her Bluff Street shop on Tuesday and seized what they called "thousands" of videos, DVDs, books, magazines and sex toys. On Wednesday night, police said they went back to Earrings and More and seized hundreds more items.

"There are racks and leather restraints, muzzles, everything is there," St. George Police Sgt. Craig Harding said Thursday.

Russell, 54, was charged in St. George's 5th District Court with 15 counts of distribution of pornographic material, a third-degree felony. A clerk in the business, 22-year-old Clifford Lee Whittaker, was charged with two counts of the same crime. Both are scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 13.

Police said they became aware of the sex toys and hard-core movies being sold out of the shop by a citizen tip. According to an arrest warrant statement obtained by the Deseret Morning News, police said Whittaker sold 22 items to confidential informants working for the Washington County Drug Task Force.

Detectives questioned Russell after the raid.

"After Miranda, Susan stated that she was very aware of the items being sold out of her shop," St. George police officer Heather Palmer wrote. "She stated she keeps them in a private room so that individuals who are under the age of 18 cannot view the materials."

Police said Russell told detectives she did not think they were illegal but then asked to speak to an attorney. She and Whittaker were booked into the Purgatory Jail Tuesday night and posted bail a short time later.

Police said they have "truckloads" of evidence they are cataloging. Officials may ask both Washington County and St. George city prosecutors to pursue additional charges.

The business was not licensed to sell sexually oriented materials, said assistant St. George city attorney Paula Houston. She would not rule out possible charges for violating city ordinances on sexually oriented businesses.

"They can sell some sexually oriented material, if it's not a significant portion of their business," she said Thursday.

Houston is well-versed in pornography and obscenity laws. Prior to working for the city, she was the Utah Attorney General's obscenity and pornography ombudsman. Houston's controversial job earned her the nickname of the "porn czar." Her job was axed in 2003 because of budget cuts within the attorney general's office. Attorney General's Office.

St. George police said they consulted with the former "czar" while working on the porn bust.

"We're very fortunate to have her expertise down here," Harding said.

E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com

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