Indicted Va. Movie Gallery Store Removes Adult Videos

By Tod Hunter
Tuesday, Mar 4, 2008 Text size:
KILMARNOCK, Va. — A Movie Gallery store that had been indicted by a grand jury on public nuisance charges last November has removed adult-themed videos from its stock.
The videos were kept in a back room of the Kilmarnock store, in an area now used for new video releases.

Last August, a Lancaster County group spearheaded by local resident Fabiola Gergerich obtained 94 signatures on a petition asking the Circuit Court to declare the store's adult videos a public nuisance.

In November, a special grand jury indicted the store. Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney J.W. Harmon told reporters that the grand jury found "obscene" adult videos displayed in the back room, as well as the packaging of some videos in the store's main shopping area.

The grand jury's presentment is under seal, and a date has not been set for a trial of the grand jury's allegations.

Lancaster County Commonwealth's Attorney C. Jeffers Schmidt, Jr. told XBIZ that he did not know if the material that had been removed was the material mentioned in the grand jury's presentment, and declined to speculate on what effect Movie Gallery's actions would have on court actions.

In February, Movie Gallery announced it was closing 400 unprofitable stores, including 14 in Virginia.