Lockeford bar ends lap dances

It appears that Lockeford has seen its final lap dance.

The attorney for Timothy Kruppe, owner of the On the Beach nightclub on Highway 88, said that the establishment no longer offers lap dances and its female staff will no longer wear bikinis. As of today, they were still wearing bikinis.

Kruppe made the decision Monday during ongoing negotiations with San Joaquin County's Community Development Department, according to his attorney, George Mull.

As part of settlement negotiations of a lawsuit Kruppe filed against the county in February, Kruppe has offered to the eliminate bikini-clad dancers and lap dances in the nightclub's VIP lounge, Mull said Monday. Mull admitted that some of the dancers have been topless while giving lap dances to their customers. They were not in public view when topless, he added.

Upon county approval, the nightclub will operate under a new name and become a standard bar, karaoke and dancing establishment — with the customers doing the dancing to recorded and live music.

In exchange, the county would pay Kruppe's legal costs, Mull said.

Although the settlement hasn't been approved by either party, Mull said that Kruppe, acting in good faith, is voluntarily ending the bikini dancers and lap dances.

For more on the story, see Wednesday's News-Sentinel.

Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.

First published: Tuesday, August 5, 2008