Hollywood actors getting arrested for masturbating in porn boutiques is officially now a thing. But the Los Angeles police department promises there is no witch hunt underway to clear the city's backrooms of the self-pleasuring threat.
Thursday night brought the latest. Actor Nick Stahl was arrested for lewd conduct at a Hollywood sex shop. It’s been a rough year for the actor, best known for playing John Connor in Terminator 3. In May, police who patrol skid row were asked to keep an eye out for Stahl after his estranged wife, Rose Murphy, reported him missing.
The X Spot, where Stahl was arrested at 8:10pm last night, is just a few blocks up Western Boulevard from the Tiki Theater where Fred Willard was busted for lewd conduct earlier this year. The charges were dropped after Willard participated in a two-week lewd conduct course he described as “"like traffic school."
But fear not porn shopoholics. According to Sgt. Noguez of LAPD’s Hollywood Division, there is no crackdown on sex shops. Stahl’s arrest occurred during a routine inspection by the division’s Vice squad.
"It’s not a sex sweep—it’s just a normal check to make sure they’re in compliance,” Noguez reached by phone, told BuzzFeed. "These porno shop have certain rules and regulations they need to follow."
Like, what, you ask? Well, it’s totally fine to go into a private room to watch porn, but touching yourself or another person while in the rooms in strictly verboten. Stahl, who was alone at the time of his arrest, was masturbating when officers entered his room, Noguez says.
X Marks The Spot
