After years of serious criminal complaints at a strip club outside Wilmington, the state is stepping in to shut things down.
Attorney General Matt Denn has filed a complaint against the Gold Club, in his first use of the state's criminal nuisance property law.
He says police have been called to the club more than 200 times in the past four years. A person was shot to death there last weekend, and other complaints have ranged from drugs and thefts to stabbings.
Denn says he's been on the verge of filing this complaint for months.
"In spite of us letting the facility know that this was a problem, and letting them know that this might be what was coming if the problems didn't stop, they haven't stopped," Denn says.
Now, he expects a short-term court order will close the club while the nuisance complaint works its way through the justice system. He's not sure yet how the Gold Club will respond, but expects them to fight it.
Denn adds he's confident their case will close the club and help clean up the neighborhood:
"There will be a lot fewer calls for service for the police because there will be presumably a lot less criminal activity going without a forum that seems to encourage it," he says. "So our hope is there will be fewer people engaging in criminal activity coming through that area and that the quality of life for the people that live and work in that area will improve."
Going forward, he says he plans to use the nuisance law "more often," especially to combat drug business in businesses and residences.
