By KATHY OLDHAM
Movie Buff’s defense team introduced adult entertainment media purchased in Utah County Wednesday as evidence that material distributed by Larry Warner Peterman did not violate community standards.
Peterman, formal general manager of Movie Buffs faces his second trial next month on 15 charges of distributing pornography. If convicted, Peterman could face up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine for each charge.
Peterman’s first trial ended last summer in a hung jury. Jurors could not agree on a definition of community standards concerning the videos confiscated by Lehi police from Movie Buffs in 1996.
Movie Buffs public defender Randall Spencer presented evidence from various movies, videos, magazines and other adult merchandise. Spencer said the material was similar to that confiscated at Movie Buffs.
Dave Boyer, a law student at BYU who is doing an externship with the public defender’s office, took part in the investigation carried out by the defense. He, along with other members of the defense team, rented several videos that were similar in content to the videos confiscated from Movie Buffs.
As part of the investigation members of the defense team also visited several hotels in Utah County and recorded adult entertainment movies available over cable.
Richard Gale, who works for the defenders office, testified that many of the adult entertainment items that he purchased were not segregated from mainstream entertainment at all.
He said a store in Orem sells the adult entertainment right next to the children’s section. Movie Buffs had a separate room where all their mature audience material was kept.
Witnesses also testified of nudity they had seen on televisions shows such as NYDP Blue and Ally McBeal.
Hearings will continue the rest of the week. The prosecution is expected to begin calling witnesses this afternoon.
