Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan filed suit today against Babes North, a strip club masquerading as a bikini bar located on FM 1960 in northwest Harris County, alleging that it is a place where persons go for prostitution and drug dealing.

County Attorney Ryan said the bar has had over 30 calls for police service in the last 18 months, including several for violating Harris County’s sexually oriented business regulations.

The suit also names the shopping center where the bar is located as a defendant for not taking reasonable measures to prevent criminal activity from occurring on the premises.

“Harris County recognizes the right of adult entertainment businesses to operate but they must do so in accordance with the law,” County Attorney Ryan said. “When they repeatedly ignore the law and imperil the well-being of the community, the Office of the County Attorney will take action to force compliance. Babes is not a bikini bar. It is a topless and bottomless den of prostitution and drug dealing.”

County Attorney Ryan has filed suit or negotiated the closure of a number of illegal enterprises since 2009. The lawsuits typically are filed against businesses that engage in habitual criminal activity, such as prostitution, illegal drug sales, liquor violations and the unlicensed operation of massage parlors.

A copy of the petition can be viewed at http://www.harriscountytx.gov/CmpDocuments/90/News%20Articles/TREASURES-ORIGINAL%20PETITION.pdf