Albuquerque-The district attorney’s office in this city was recently faced with a challenging question: Is a typical, testosterone charged 18-year-old capable of making a rational decision when a naked stripper named Orchard starts thrashing around on his lap in an exotic dance club?
The legal opinion of the DA’s office: No.
So the case against Craig Everett and 18-year-old buddy Malik Wakji – who combined piled up a mind-boggling bill of $2,460 in lap dances at the Fantasy World nightclub in one very long evening and then couldn’t pay – has been dismissed by Albuquerque prosecutors.
“We did not find any criminal intent on the part of the two young men,” said Betty Hanes, a paralegal in the DA’s office who was involved in the decision to drop the charges. “But that was a lot of lap dances.”
On Aug. 30, Everett drove from his home outside Roswell to Albuquerque, where he met up with Wakji and headed to Fantasy World.
The two teens kicked off the night by sitting near the stage as the dancers “danced.” Then Everett and Wakji were invited by dancers Orchard and Carmela to adjourn to the VIP Room for private lap dances. By the time the strip club closed at 2 a.m., Everett and Wakji had, according to the club manager, been the recipients of 82 lap dances – 41 each.
At about three minutes per dance, this is roughly one hour and 23 minutes of having a naked person sitting on you. A thing like that isn’t cheap.
Each dance is marked by a song, club manager Jonnie McArthur told police. When the song ends, the $30 dance is over.
When McArthur gave Everett and Wakji the $2,460 bill, their eyes grew even wider than they’d been all evening.
Wakji had $50 in his pocket and a credit card with a $500 limit. Everett had, according to police, no cash or credit cards. Just a surprised look on his face.
From the Albuquerque police report: “Craig stated that he did not know that a new dance started with the start of a new song. He stated he thought the dance was just one continuous dance, and he also stated that this was his first time going to an exotic dance club.”
Albuquerque Municipal Court spokeswoman Janet Blair, whose office initially handled the complaint, said police indicated both teenagers were “real hayseeds visiting the big city.”
The teens were charged with falsely obtaining services or accommodations over $250, a felony. They were issued citations and released. But late last month, the case was dismissed.
“We decided to close the case because both were young men and both said they’d never been in a place like that,” said Hanes, of the DA’s office. “They said they didn’t understand the rules, that each dance costs $30 or whatever, and that a new dance started when a song started.
“We just didn’t see any criminal intent. I mean, you wouldn’t think anyone would sit through 41 lap dances and run up a $2,460 tab on purpose with the intent of not paying. If nothing else, you think you’d be afraid of the bouncers.”
The manager of the club, Hanes said, should have made the rules clear to the two teens. And after “10 or 20 dances,” she said, he should have demanded a credit card or some type of payment.
“I tried to talk to the manager, but he never returned my phone calls,” Hanes said. “One of the dancing girls said he works at midnight. I don’t. So we never talked.”
Attempts to reach Everett and Wakji were unsuccessful.
And an attempt to talk to club manager McArthur at Fantasy World also was rebuffed – although a visit to the dimly lit establishment just off Interstate 25 in downtown Albuquerque was certainly interesting.
“McArthur? Don’t know anyone by that name,” said a large bouncer at the club last week. “Come back tomorrow. Maybe Shannon will talk to you.”
Who, he was asked, was Shannon?
“I don’t know. Come back tomorrow,” he said.
The reporter then asked the bouncer for his name.
“I don’t know that, either,” he said.
Staff writer Rich Tosches writes each Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at rtosches@denverpost.com.
