Club where child stripped penalized

Kentucky authorities have suspended for 30 days the liquor license of a Lexington strip club that was caught employing a 14-year-old girl as a stripper.

The Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and Camelot West signed a settlement agreement Sept. 8, saying the club would agree to a 30-day suspension of its liquor license and pay a $7,500 fine.

Authorities at ABC determined that Camelot West had violated the law by having a minor on its premises and having an employee younger than 20, according to a news release from the ABC. A separate charge of maintaining a disorderly premises was dismissed.

The 30-day suspension starts Friday.

The ABC launched its investigation after the club's owner, Ronald Shields, was arrested.

A Fayette County grand jury dismissed criminal charges against Shields last month. Shields has said that the girl — who worked at the Alexandria Drive club for two days in March — showed him a fake identification card.

Shields did not return calls for comment.

The girl's aunt pleaded guilty earlier this year to unlawful transaction with a minor. The girl's aunt admitted that she took her niece to the strip club and then took the girl's money. The girl's mother found the girl at the club after getting a tip from relative, according to police reports.

This story was originally published September 18, 2008 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Club where child stripped penalized."