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Ex-county commissioner enters plea in nudity case

By Scott Summers - | Jun 26, 2002

A nightclub owner will avoid jail time after pleading no contest Thursday to violating a county law he once signed as chairman of the Leavenworth County Commission.

Wayne Eldridge, owner and operator of Whispers Cabaret, an adult entertainment business along Kansas Highway 7 northeast of Basehor, plead no contest to one count of aiding and abetting public nudity, which is a misdemeanor. He will pay a $500 fine and all court costs related to his case. But he will serve no jail time.

In exchange for the plea, Leavenworth County prosecutors agreed to drop charges of promoting prostitution and promoting obscenity that had been pending against him.

Prosecutors had alleged Eldridge violated the county’s anti-nudity resolution, a resolution he had signed when he was chairman of the Leavenworth County Commission.

The charges against him stemmed from a March 2001 investigation by the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Department into activities at Whispers Cabaret.

Two undercover deputies allegedly observed lap dances and topless dancing at Whispers during a visit the pair made March 8, 2001.Four dancers working at Whispers Cabaret were also charged in connection to alleged crimes that occurred at the nightclub.

Carolyn Trader, Loretta Matlock and Amanda Nault were each charged with one count of public nudity.

Another dancer, Laura Campos, is charged with public nudity, prostitution and promoting obscenity.

The case against Trader was resolved last month when she agreed to accept diversion in lieu of formal charges. Matlock is contemplating a similar deal, prosecutors said.

The charges against Campos and Nault are still pending. Leavenworth County officials said bench warrants have been issued for both dancers.