JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Three women were arrested Thursday night -- two on drug charges and one on a prostitution charge -- after an undercover operation at a well-known strip club on Jacksonville's Southside.
Shayna Fischoff, 22, is facing a charge of soliciting for prostitution, and Kesha Grant, 34, and Charlie Trotter are facing drug-related charges. Grant is charged with delivering or distributing cocaine and methamphetamine, and selling benzodiazepine. Trotter is charged with possession of synthetic drugs and drug paraphernalia.
According to her arrest report, Grant, identified as a dancer at Wacko’s, sold drugs to undercover agents four times.
Records obtained Friday by News4Jax show five other people were also cited by the state for drug possession.
News4Jax was told that undercover detectives initially entered Wacko's Gentlemen's Club on Emerson Street just after 8 p.m. and ordered dancers to gather in one area and workers to get in another area.
Customers were asked to pay their tabs and then leave.
News4Jax has learned that agents, led by the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, were called to Wacko's for a drug investigation by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. The raid was dubbed Operation Whacking Wacko's.
Several workers told News4Jax on Thursday that raids happen every few months, and at other clubs too.
"They're looking for whatever they're looking for," one employee said.
Employees said Friday that they didn't know anything about drugs in the club, but undercover detectives said they were sold drugs by a dancer in Wacko's during the investigation, which began in January. Reports show that other employees were caught in possession of drugs, but were not arrested. Officials said there could be more arrests.
"Any time there's a situation where they come in -- obviously, there's alcohol and tobacco sold at this facility -- it's their job to come, and we welcome them to come any time they want to come," said an employee, who asked not to be named. "They're welcome to come, and they do this to all of the clubs around town. They came in, they thought maybe there was some stuff going on. They did a thorough search. There was nothing going on."
At least 12 Jacksonville Sheriff's Office cruisers, two city of Jacksonville pickup trucks and three Lock and Key company trucks were outside the club just before 10 p.m. Thursday. Police tape was taken down about an hour later.
The employee said Friday that a fire code violation involving an exit door was discovered during the raid, and the club was temporarily shut down.
"It's a door operator that's not working -- a couple of emergency lights, stuff like that," the employee said. "That stuff gets burned out all the time. The buildings are maintained by the owners. They take good care of the building."
Just over 24 hours after the raid, the club posted a message on its Facebook page about 9:30 p.m. Friday, saying, "YES WE ARE OPEN!!! Come see us."
News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said the club's owner can expect more check-ins from officers.
"It is possible they might see more raids like this in the future. It just depends on what's going on at the strip club. They're constantly going in undercover to see if there's anyone committing any violations," Smith said.
Grant and Trotter are each being held on $25,000 bond.