Cabaret owner charged in raid
ULL professor, club worker also booked
LAFAYETTE — The owner of Desperado’s Gentleman’s Cabaret in Carencro has been arrested on federal charges in an investigation involving drugs and prostitution that also nabbed a University of Louisiana at Lafayette professor.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed Thursday that Desperado’s owner James “Jim” Panos, 54, was arrested Wednesday on a federal complaint charging him with “maintaining drug-involved premises” at his club, which offers nude dancing.
The case file has been sealed from public view, and U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley declined to comment on any details of the federal investigation.
But state court documents indicate that at least four others were booked on drug and prostitution counts following a Wednesday raid by state and federal authorities at the Evangeline Thruway club.
The arrests included ULL journalism professor Tyrone Leman Adams, 44, who was booked on a prostitution charge after agents allegedly found him with woman wearing only a G-string in what investigators labeled a “VIP” room, according to affidavit filed to support his arrest.
Adams, who had his shoes off when investigators arrived, admitted that he had paid the woman $150 for sex, and that she had given the “house” a $50 cut, according to the affidavit.
The Wednesday search also yielded cocaine, painkillers, marijuana and methamphetamine, according to the affidavits filed to support other arrests in the case.
A woman identified as an employee of Desperado’s, 28-year-old Heather Marie Kelley, was booked on charges of possession of Lortab, possession of marijuana, possession of methamphetamine and prostitution.
Adams was the Richard D’Aquin Endowed Professor of Journalism at ULL from 2008 to 2011. He has been on a paid leave of absence this semester but is scheduled to teach an online course next year, according to a statement released by the university.
Adams was released Thursday on $800 bail, according to the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center.
Editor’s note: This article was corrected Dec. 7, 2012 to reflect that Adams was the Richard D’Aquin Endowed Professor of Journalism at ULL from 2008 to 2011.