Tuesday, July 22, 2008
UPDATED: Duncanville’s Cherry Pit swingers’ club raided — again
Updated 08:19 a.m., July 23, 2008
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DUNCANVILLE — Duncanville’s most infamous residence is in the news again as police executed a search warrant at The Cherry Pit on Saturday July 19. Police took photos of guests and seized evidence including wallets, purses and credit cards.
“The Cherry Pit, located in a Duncanville neighborhood, is advertised as a swingers’ club and has been previously cited for violating the City of Duncanville Code of Ordinances,” city staff said in a press release.
Jim Trulock and Julie Norris operate The Cherry Pit out of their North Cedar Ridge Drive residence. Trulock, 59, and Norris, 30, have made national news for their battle against the city. The homeowners say the city is violating their personal freedoms and trying to legislate morality. City officials counter saying the home’s activities have become a nuisance and potential health hazard. The home has received 10 citations, five for operating a sex club and five for operating a sexually oriented business without a license.
The home was Duncanville’s dirty little not-so-secret for years but in November the city council took action, passing legislation banning sex clubs. That set off a chain of legal dominoes with the club filing suit against the city in December and the city filing a suit in January.
Local and national talk shows have had a field day with the age gap between and decidedly unglamorous appearance of the sex club owners. Trulock’s head sports a large black mole that has drawn as much attention in the local media as former Russian premier Mikhail Gorbachev’s discoloration did internationally.
The antics at The Cherry Pit, famous for games of Naked Twister, are in stark contrast to the family friendly image Duncanville tries to present. It even became an issue in May’s election as challenger Rose Renfroe blasted Mayor David Green, accusing him of being slow to act where the club was concerned. As much as city leaders would like this problem to go away, it shows no signs of doing so any time soon. The constitutionality of Duncanville’s ordinance was to be heard this week but got postponed.
UPDATE (by editor): The Cherry Pit was raided again Tuesday July 23, this time by the TABC. Alcohol was not on the initial search warrant Saturday, so the second raid was necessary to confiscate a "very large amount" of booze. Choice quote from Cherry Pit attorney Ed Klein: "...the TABC is busting down doors, having their fun with the place." Um, Ed, I think your clients have the most fun with this particular place.
Pegasus News content partner - Best Southwest Citizen
Updated by Alex B.
Related stories
- Besieged Cherry Pit in Duncanville raided again (Sept. 22, 2008)
- Owners of Cherry Pit in Duncanville arrested (Sept. 17, 2008)
- Duncanville sex club attorneys lose bid to have evidence suppressed (Aug. 9, 2008)
- Duncanville doesn’t want Swingtown image (July 24, 2008)
- Pegasus News Week in View: Hello Dolly edition (July 24, 2008)
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Comments
Pavel Lishin Verified
I gotta say, that is one raid I'd hate to be a part of. My exposure to this sort of thing is limited to only one documentary, but the people in the documentary were not folks I'd rather see playing Naked Twister.
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
viva_la_malcriada Anonymous
Gawd, I remember that documentary, too. Unfortunately.
And because of that, I'm totally convinced that 'hot swingers' belong in the same category as the Loch Ness monster, Big Foot, and the Chupacabra.
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
David Goodspeed Verified
police back out again this afternoon for another "panty" raid, this time without the battering ram.
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
chriss Anonymous
Sounds to me like your local police have too much time on their hands. "Potential health hazard"--what a lame excuse.
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
jtmbls Anonymous
Oh right. I'm sure they just love wandering the rooms with their black lights. It probably looks like a murder scene in the dark. Hopefully they got to wear their HAZMAT gear.
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Jason Rice Verified
I'm with you jtmbls. There's just nothing pretty about this story.
Frankly, I feel kinda like I need a shower after just commenting on it. Man! I'm so glad to be uninteresting.
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Kevin Kunreuther Verified
The TABC charges will be thrown out as all alcohol is BYOB, as each bottle is marked with the name of the owner/guest. That's why the wallets, credit cards and I.D.s were snatched. To match owners of the booze and emptied bottles.
The idea is not so much to close it down as it is to dissuade the patrons from fraternizing at the location. Eventually, it is hoped the constant harassment will drive the swingers away and be some other city's problem. Even if the couple who run the Cherry Pit eventually win, chances are it'll be a long drawn out, draining Pyrrhic battle. They'd be better off establishing themselves on unincorporated county land, away from residential homes, schools and churches and making sure they are surrounded by enough "buffer" acreage so that future developers do not build a residential area, church or school near them.
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
chriss Anonymous
It's a lot easier to arrest people who are essentially harmless than those who are really dangerous, plus the cops get to break up the boredom of their jobs by breaking up someone's good time. And the politicians and busybodies get to wax self-righteous about morality...until THEY'RE caught in an airport lavatory or found in some madam's black book.
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
David Goodspeed Verified
Hey, they needed something, anything, to get the heat off the "weeds in the sidewalks cracks" fiasco that dominated headlines just a few days before. Looks like it worked. Not sure if they had code enforcement out at the Cherry Pit looking for weeds in the cracks though...
1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Johnn132 Anonymous
Tabc is out of control, bunch of want to be cowboys. I had one of their officers come into a sports bar I was at, dressed in civilian clothing, walked up to bar and proceded to push me out of way without identifying himself in anyway, only after I threatened him for putting his hands on me did he identify himself. Then he checked the bars bottle tags to make sure they scrapped off properly. As far as the swingers, they aren't hurting anyone, its none of anyones buisness. Look hard before you judge, they are people you know, you work with, teach your kids. It's a big community, and I've seen lots of hot swingers. And what of all the gay bath houses? Funny that cops aren't so prone to raid them! I can't wait to get someone needing my company that is involved in this bully activity! I give law enforcment discounts, but not to tabc! Quite the opposite, no state law enforcement, or federal for that matter, should get away with what theses guys do! They going to raid my home for a 12 pack or a bottle? Or put hands on me for sitting quietly minding my own buisness? No these guys need regulation! And if your going to shut down and harass swingers do the same to the gay places! They target them because they prize they're privacy and don't march or complain out of fear of being judged by neighbors. Laws must be fair and not target a small group while ignoring a large one.
4 weeks, 1 day ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
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