Former Great Falls mayor Gayle Morris appeared in court on Friday and pled not guilty to a felony charge of promotion of prostitution. Morris, who also served as Cascade County Commissioner several years ago, is scheduled for trial on November 9th.
(July 9, 2009)
Today, former Great Falls mayor and Cascade County Commissioner Gayle Morris made his initial appearance on a charge of promotion of prostitution, and he was joined by some of his Really Windy's employees.
As of today, three people have been arrested for prostitution violations, five people were arrested yesterday for narcotics violations, and the Gang Task Force is pursuing more suspects for both offenses.
An investigation into Really Windy's Gentleman's Club began last summer and was a joint effort by the Great Falls Police Department and the Central Montana Violent Crime Task Force. Court documents say undercover investigators began frequenting the bar and discovered the exchange of several dangerous drugs including morphine, cocaine, Oxycontin, and methamphetamine - but narcotics wasn't all they uncovered.
Kory Larsen, deputy County Attorney, explained, "The focus of the investigation was on the distribution of narcotics in Cascade County. It was determined that there was distribution of drugs taking places on the premise of Really Windy's and that's why the investigation agencies were there in the first place. The prostitution charges stemmed from that."
Court documents allege that Morris promoted prostitution by knowing full well that his dancers were charging customers for sexual acts. The papers also state that he charged the girls a fee for using a room where the acts reportedly occurred, and that he also allegedly scheduled outcalls for them.
Morris stated that there is no truth to any of the claims: "I'm not involved in local prostitution or interstate prostitution by any stretch of the imagination."
Morris says he believes the informants are lying, and the reports are just gossip that have gotten blown out of proportion: "They do vindictive things sometimes and say things about people that end up being nothing more than rumors, but that's their intention to hurt some out there by starting these things and of course there is no shortage of people who love to carry rumors to the next level."
Prosecutors says there is plenty of evidence to back up both the prostitution and drug charges.
Larsen said, "There were several sources of information indicating that was going on, and after a search warrant was executed on the premises, there was sufficient evidence to go forward with the charges of prostitution for some of the dancers and promotion (of prostitution) for Mr. Morris himself."
Those facing distribution of dangerous drugs include Lonny Henderson, Amy Nicole Walton, Jessica Ruth Burrington, Dawn Marie Wilson, Treena Lee Latray, James Howard Resch, and Justin Edwards Lewis.
Morris is currently out on $5,000 bail. The investigation is continuing, which means there could be more charges.
(from July 9, 2009) Former Great Falls Mayor and Cascade County Commissioner Gayle Morris was arrested on Thursday and charged with felony promotion of prostitution. Morris is the owner of Really Windy's Lounge near Sun Prairie, about 10 miles west of Great Falls. Two of the women who dance at the night club have recently been charged with prostitution.
According to a warrant obtained from the Cascade County Attorney's office, several former dancers have come forward to admit their involvement in prostitution and have implicated Gayle Morris in the promotion of prostitution. The warrant also offers evidence that Morris gave tips to the dancers on how to secretly engage in prostitution and how to set prices. Here is an excerpt:
The informant said she went over the contract with the owner and manager, Gayle Morris, who told her "What happens in the lap dance room - stays in the lap dance room." The informant said all the dancers pay a room rental fee at the beginning their shift, a portion of which goes to the "house mom" (unknown identity) or to Gayle Morris. The informant said all of these fees go into a black folder in Morris's office located in the building.
Morris served as Great Falls mayor between 1992 and 1996.
