Polk County Sheriff’s Office vice detectives, during the month of March 2010, conducted an investigation into the distribution and sale of obscene material at two convenience stores in Lakeland.

Detectives, working in an undercover capacity, visited several convenience stores in Lakeland and found two stores which sold XXX DVD videos.  Copies of the videos were purchased, and provided to local judges for review.  The material was ruled obscene in violation of Florida State Statute 847.07.  The material ruled obscene contained images of hardcore adult pornography.  Both stores had the material displayed in open view, near the check-out counter.

On Tuesday, March 31, 2010, PCSO detectives seized 272 items from the two stores.

40-year-old Baby A. Makil, DOB 02-02-1960, 1612 Heritage Drive, Valrico Florida, owner of Skyview Foods located at 2939 Skyview Drive Lakeland, was arrested and charged with:

• Wholesale Promotion of Obscene Material (F3)
• Sell/Offer Sale Obscene Material (1^st Offense), 8 Counts (M1)
• Possess Obscene Material with Intent to Sell/Distribute, 8 Counts (M1)

There were 83 total items seized from Skyview Foods – 51 DVDs and 32 DVD-Magazine sets.

 

 

 

 

33-year-old Pronoy Kumer Padder, DOB 10-15-1976, 2130 Morgan Wieland Lane, Apartment 101, Lakeland, co-owner of the Sunoco Gas Station/Convenience Store 2225 S. Combee Road, Lakeland, was arrested and charged with:

• Wholesale Promotion of Obscene Material (F3)
• Display or Sell Material Harmful To Minor (M1)
• Sell/Offer Sale Obscene Material (1^st Offense), 10 Counts (M1)  
• Possess Obscene Material with the Intent to Sell/Distribute, 10 Counts (M1)

42-year-old Mohd P. Sazzad, DOB 03-07-1968, 3520 Cleveland Heights Boulevard #114, Lakeland, co-owner of the Sunoco Gas Station/Convenience Store, was arrested and charged with:

• Wholesale Promotion of Obscene Material (F3) 
• Display or Sell Material Harmful To Minor (M1)
• Sell/Offer Sale Obscene Material (1^st Offense), 6 counts (M1)  
• Possess Obscene Material with the Intent to Sell/Distribute 6 Counts; (M1)

There were 189 total items seized from the Sunoco – all 189 were DVD-Magazine sets.

Through their investigation detectives learned the identity of a fourth man who was supplying the material to the store owners.

On 04-01-2010 at approximately 10:45 am, detectives, working in an undercover capacity and posing as a customer, met 25-year-old Donald Andrew Burk, DOB 06-30-1984, 2553 Upper Cove Road, Woodbury, Georgia, in the parking lot of the Bob Evans Restaurant located on Highway 27 and Frontage Road, Davenport.

Burk sold an undercover detective 106 XXX DVD videos at a wholesale price of $220.00, then solicited the detective to place “7 more display racks,” containing 48 XXX DVD Videos each, in different stores and offered to give back $3.00 for each video sold.

Burk then advised the detective that his company was getting ready to start selling “medical Marijuana,” pre-packaged, and asked if this would be of interest to the detective.

Burk further stated that his company was also going to offer pipes and other drug paraphernalia as well since they were embarking on this medical Marijuana sales venture.

Burk was placed under arrest and  charged with:

• Wholesale Promotion/Distribution of Obscene Material (F-3)
• Possession of Obscene Material with the Intent to Sell, 10 Counts (M-1)

Detectives seized a total of 432 DVD videos from Burke.

“It is disappointing that that these retail stores were so openly violating the law,” said Sheriff Grady Judd.  “They were displaying these XXX hard-core videos in full view for everyone - - including children.  We will continue to enforce our obscenity statutes in Polk County and make sure that our retail businesses comply with the law.”

 

This is an ongoing investigation.