The state Attorney General’s office has shut down a former strip club just outside Wilmington permanently.
The club previously known as the Gold Club has been shuttered for good under the state's criminal nuisance property law.
AG Matt Denn’s office closed it temporarily back in November after incidents there resulted in police being called more 200 times over four years for issues ranging from drugs and vehicle thefts to shootings and stabbings, including a homicide.
The club reopened in January under a new name – the Fantasia Lounge – under an agreement that required owners to improve security and not operate as an adult entertainment venue – among other conditions.
The AG’s office says a State Police investigation earlier this month found Fantasia Lounge was offering adult entertainment, did not have a properly functioning security system and was again violating the state’s nuisance law.
Based on that investigation a Superior Court judge issued an order Monday permanently closing the venue. Current owners are also barred from reopening a business at that location without court permission.
“In our original complaint a few months ago, we noted police had been called to the property almost 240 times in four years,” said Attorney General Matt Denn in a statement. “The fact that the owners would continue, in the face of a court order, to operate in a way that promotes violence, drug activity, and other crime, emphasized the need for its permanent closure.
The club stopped operating last Friday, according to the AG's office.
Final Abatement Court Order-GoldClub by Tom Byrne
