'Bikini baristas' accused of serving more than just coffee
EVERETT, Wash. -- Three so-called "bikini baristas", including a 16-year-old girl, were arrested Wednesday in Everett for allegedly violating the city's adult cabaret law.
The arrests came at the end of a two-month long investigation into a pair of Grab-N-Go coffee stands, according to police.
"Citizens complained that these locations served more than just coffee," Lt. James Duffy of the Criminal Intelligence Unit said in a Wednesday news release.
Duffy said the investigation uncovered what he called "exhibition and exposure which is outside the confines of the law."
Police used surveillance cameras to capture the baristas allegedly giving customers "shows" for money without actually serving any coffee.
Everett police officer Aaron Snell said Grab-N-Go customers know they're going to see scantily-clad baristas. He said their clothes -- or lack thereof -- were not the problem, but their actions went too far.
"They were uncovering themselves and exposing themselves, which is completely different than the outfits they were wearing," he said. "It's behavior driven as opposed to what they were wearing."
A barista who was not arrested believes the police are targeting bikini barista stands.
"The cops are looking to try and shut down a lot of bikini stands because stigma behind them," said barista Kassi Carlson.
In 2010, five Grab-N-Go baristas were charged with prostitution and violating the city's adult entertainment ordinance following a two-month undercover investigation.
Those women, ages 18 to 24, were accused of groping and other sexual acts, including exposing their breasts and privates and licking whipped cream off of each other in exchange for money.
The owner of the coffee stands, Bill Wheeler, said he is only aware of two of his employees being arrested Wednesday.
"I got a phone call saying the cops were here and they were going to detain them," he said.
He said a 22-year-old and a 17-year-old were arrested. Police listed the ages of the arrested women as 29, 21, and 16. The three were later released from custody with charges referred to the Everett city prosecutors for review.
Despite the company's shaky history with the law, Wheeler insists everything at his coffee stands in on the up-and-up.
"I make it very clear that my business isn't what they may suspect it to be," he said. "Regardless of what they heard in the past in the media I have a zero-tolerance-policy for any of this conduct."
The arrests came at the end of a two-month long investigation into a pair of Grab-N-Go coffee stands, according to police.
"Citizens complained that these locations served more than just coffee," Lt. James Duffy of the Criminal Intelligence Unit said in a Wednesday news release.
Duffy said the investigation uncovered what he called "exhibition and exposure which is outside the confines of the law."
Police used surveillance cameras to capture the baristas allegedly giving customers "shows" for money without actually serving any coffee.
Everett police officer Aaron Snell said Grab-N-Go customers know they're going to see scantily-clad baristas. He said their clothes -- or lack thereof -- were not the problem, but their actions went too far.
"They were uncovering themselves and exposing themselves, which is completely different than the outfits they were wearing," he said. "It's behavior driven as opposed to what they were wearing."
A barista who was not arrested believes the police are targeting bikini barista stands.
"The cops are looking to try and shut down a lot of bikini stands because stigma behind them," said barista Kassi Carlson.
In 2010, five Grab-N-Go baristas were charged with prostitution and violating the city's adult entertainment ordinance following a two-month undercover investigation.
Those women, ages 18 to 24, were accused of groping and other sexual acts, including exposing their breasts and privates and licking whipped cream off of each other in exchange for money.
The owner of the coffee stands, Bill Wheeler, said he is only aware of two of his employees being arrested Wednesday.
"I got a phone call saying the cops were here and they were going to detain them," he said.
He said a 22-year-old and a 17-year-old were arrested. Police listed the ages of the arrested women as 29, 21, and 16. The three were later released from custody with charges referred to the Everett city prosecutors for review.
Despite the company's shaky history with the law, Wheeler insists everything at his coffee stands in on the up-and-up.
"I make it very clear that my business isn't what they may suspect it to be," he said. "Regardless of what they heard in the past in the media I have a zero-tolerance-policy for any of this conduct."
A 16 year old working there doing that stuff?? Why isn't the owner arrested for pedophilia. This is gross. I thought all those years of equality was supposed to uplift women, not turn them into pieces of garbage.
Logic and reason seem to have been replaced by hysterics and hyperbole from everyone on this topic.Â
For all the people screaming about the waste of tax dollars...using your argument, the claim could be made that no robbery should be investigated before all murders and rapes are stopped and all outstanding cases closed. Police resources get spread out across all crimes. All the time. And the "nothing better to investigate" argument quickly falls apart once you realize that.
But guys like looking at attractive female bodies exposed. And the brain rewards them for doing so - a fairly hefty dose of feel good chemicals get released when a male sees a sexually attractive female in a state of nudity or near nudity. The drug most espresso places sell is caffeine. These places are dealing in a far more powerful drug. How strong is the drug? I'm guessing these guys are paying more than $3 for their Latte' in the morning so it is powerful enough to motivate them to redirect capital resources.   And you can wag your finger all you want but it has been this way...forever. Note the 6.5 BILLION people on the planet.Â
Now - the hysterics from the other side are equally goofy. "Nothing but a drive thru strip club". Well. Yes. And in fact, the concerns about strip clubs would be reduced if they used a drive thru approach - with a well screened shop. There would be no phsical contact which is something that does occur in current clubs. Immediatley , you've reduced that issue. Put the woman in a solid structure and you've likely increased her security versus a standard strip club where a fair amount of physical groping can occur.
I thought Wheeler "disappeared"Â a couple years ago
You know whats funny about this. Everett police are too busy trying to shut down the Bikini stands because of fat lazy jealous wife's. Â They are missing 20 something girls that are always out walking up and down Evergreen way everyday, and it's always the same HOOKERS for the last year!!! Â I guess this ok over a few girls flashing some to guys driving through the coffe stand.
Please provide the address of where the crime took place.......I'll do my own investigation........
Everett Cops don't you have larger crimes to Solve ???. This Puritanical , Bible Thumping area makes me sick. You don't care about same gender sex but you get all out of shape with a little skin.
Get a Life Northwest !!
@Closer64 - really? I never thought of the northwest as being bible thumping and puritanical! That's a new one! LOL. Breaking the law is what they are doing or accused of doing... don't think any bible or puritan has anything to do with it. LOL
It appears that some folks have too much time on their hands and butt into others affairs. If you don't like their coffee or the view- DON'T go there. We are becoming a police state.
It seems some of you missed that part about one of them being 16 years old. I find these places pretty annoying but as long as they are marked (so I don't accidentally pull up to one) I could care less what they are doing in there Having minors working at these places is WRONG and says something about the people frequenting the place.
These types of venues are nothing more than a lethal trap for everyone involved. These girls don't realize what these guys are thinking. Mark my words...You will see in short time the rapes and attempted rapes of these girls. These guys are going to these coffee stands not to fill their coffee cup, but to fill their photographic minds with images that they will not shake off easily. After enough looking and fantasizing, temptation will completely consume and overwhelm the person and.....BOOM! Tragedy!
Not a good deal for anyone involved.
This isn't rocket science folks....
@peeplesuk These places have been around for years and I haven't heard anything about any of the baristas being raped. I have read about many rapes and attempted rapes in the news, but never of a gal who worked at a bikini stand (and I'm pretty sure the media would have loved to report on that). I think you are going a little off the deep end with your assumptions.
Yeah, I am going a little off the deep end mainly only to those that frequent these type of establishments. Listen, rapes occur daily. Look into them and you will probably find that what I am saying holds water. If I need to break it down for ya any more than that.....then I think 'you' are drowning....and not to mention, 16 years old!!!!!!! Dude, what the hell is the matter with you? If you were that girls dad, and you thought that she was just going to her little job to sell coffee and found out this.....pfff. We are talkin' about a friggen rampage! People need to wake up....start buying the damn coffee and drinking it.
@peeplesuk Just because YOU think something is true, does note make it true. I stand by my assertation that if indeed one of these bikini baristas had been raped we would have herad about it so unless you have documented proof, your statement DOES NOT hold water. As for the part about one of them being 16, if you had read all my posts on this story you would see that I already said that the owner should have to answer for that. You are indeed off the deep end with your assertations. Oh, and I personally have never been to one of these stands, I just like to employ what is known as common sense.
2030 Broadway - Stand was recently sold and the Fantasy stand opened. I have stopped several times to get my teriyaki order and have been offended by the bare rears and other body parts sticking out the window in plain view of the teriyaki parking. I was embarrassed for myself and for the owners of the teriyaki business. I thought that there had to be a fence or some other barrier to keep the stand and it occupants from the view of the public. This is open to the street and the parking lot.
|THE CITIZENS NEED TO ADDRESS THIS?"
What does that even mean? Are you suggesting a lynch mob?   The best way to fix this is simple. STOP GOING> quite frankly anybody going to such places and then complaining are sheer morons. Grow up and let the kids have their fun. Meanwhile on planet earth, I have more important things to worry about such as paying my bills, not losing my job, and a host of other REAL WORLD issues.Â
Once again, money well spent. This is the only "crime" going on in all of Snohomish County folks, now you can all rest easy.
After work im going by the donut shop. Oh wait. That makes no sense, because i dont like donuts. So i guess i wont go by there after all. Hmmm.. i wonder if that same logic could apply anywhere else in life .....
Soooo Everett police have nothing better to do with tax payer money amid budget cuts but to spend 2 months sitting around and monitor a coffee shop for lude behavior between consenting adults? Are there not more serious crimes going on that this resource could of been used for? The citizens need to address this.
@fumblefacedolt I agree with everthing you have said except that it seems that one of the girls was either 16 or 17. If this is true then that aspect will need to be answered for.
Just legalize prostitution and call it good. Grown and consenting adults can make their own decisions. Â We have some catching up to do with other countries around the world. A coffee establishment however is not the place for naked bodies. Â I think the girls like the attention. Where's their mom and dad?
OMG I'm so disgusted with the idea that a woman might expose her natural human body to another anywhere but the Internet. We must spend thousands of taxpayer dollars on law enforcement overtime to stop this insanity because we surely have no other crimes going on of this magnitude!
I heard Wheeler on the radio this morning saying he videos his employees to make sure these kinds of activities do not go on. He claims he saw nothing that the police are accusing his baristas of doing. Wheeler states in the article thereâs a zero tolerance policy for this type of extracurricular coffee activity.So how does Wheeler make money if no coffee sales are rung up? In theory he should be going out of business if thereâs less coffee being sold and more extracurricular activity being sold. My issue with his statements and what I donât get is if these women are only in business for themselves (i.e. pocketing the money for the extracurricular activities), then how is Wheeler making money? I know heâs just an ordinary businessman but could he be pocketing half of what these girls are making when selling the extracurricular activity and no coffee? Letâs see I think the word is pimp but heâs just a coffee shop owner trying to make a buck. It should be easy to find out how he makes money by comparing coffee purchased to coffee sold, very easy math.
The only thing missing from those stands is a stripper pole. Â
I hear every male police office volunteered to go undercover on this one.
Why are we wasting Officer's time with this? When the drugs, home invasions, and other real crimes are gone.. Then lets worry about this!
Welcome to the United States of Prudistan.
Another use of an unconstitutional religious law. People can choose to wear what they want to wear. Its legal in this state to walk around nude if you want to as well it should be. Keep religion out of our government and laws.
A couple years ago, while shopping with my preteen granddaughters, they saw an espresso stand and asked for hot chocolate. They walked over and when I joined them, they told me they didn't know if they should order. The barristas were showing a lot of skin and my granddaughters were embarassed. They weren't expecting it... Then they asked me why the barristas weren't dressed.It opened up a discussion about why a young girl would make the choice to display herself. My daily commute took me past that stand and eventually the authorities required them to place some fence-like barrier, to keep the girls out of the view of highway traffic. Drivers were gawking...                                     Â
@Janet Tilley Swinford Coyle and so how do you address the issue of near nudity when you go to a public swimming pool or beach?
@Janet Tilley Swinford Coyle embarrassed? interesting. My parents took me to topless shows in puerto rico as a kid. I was never embarrassed. Although my catholic upbringing caused far more issues. :)
Two month investigation? "I need to watch just a little while longer chief!"
@2009Ultra No kiddingÂ
the storm troopers protecting us common folk
These girls if that's what ya wanna call 'em look like cheap tricks!! They look nasty and dirty!! They're shapes are ridiculous! Make a cup of jo and move on!! Men who need a thrill should go find a bathroom and a PB mag and get with it!! Again I ask...Are we humans thee most stupid thing here on this planet???
@reelin21 You sound like you have experience at more than one of these establishments with your general observation.... Are we should have been changed to "am I?" because that was a ridiculous comment.
I'm going to open a male version called the Banana Hammock..... That way all these over protective moms have a place to call their own
@Northriver - LOL! I died laughing at this one!! Priceless!Â
@Northriver Oh thank god! Some of us aren't dead yet and would love a beefcake stand! Screw the over-protective moms, they can have Folgers.
Maybe the police are just worried about the traffic jams that are going to happen if these peep shows are allowed to continue unchecked!
All you people talking about children being accidentally exposed... Doesn't, Bikini Hut or Java Jigglers or Java Juggs Cowgirls kind of tell you what to expect?? I don't buy for a second all you moms are so naive to think that any child big enough to see out of the backseat window isn't exposed to far more disturbing things than this....  I haven't seen any of these stands located next to the local elementary schools and if your kid is walking down Broadway or 99 you might want to rethink your parenting style..
Being the mother of 2 teen girls, I find this a form of exploitation. NOOOOO Im not jealous, NOR do I feel any threat from these young gals-I FEEL SORRY FOR THEM. Why do they think exposing themselves for 'coffee tips' is okay? I say, if your gonna do that, get ur ass to a caberet and MAKE REAL MONEY. Until then, ur just pimpin' urself out CHEAP & will regret it. As for the owner, understand capitolism but shame on u for making your money off of young women not capable of seeing TRUTH.
@Aimee Mather-Taber So as long as the girls are making REAL money then your fine with it? In fairness, these are your words not mine.   Unless the girls are under age while working in these joints, what they are doing is perfectly legal. Anything outside the law is a parenting issue that you would be legally and morally responsible for.
As to your definition of exploitation(lowering your self worth for low wages) Then I guess most of us are guilty of that. I picked hay bails for a couple seasons for minimum wages while being allergic to hay and dust and a host of other issues. (pure exploitation at its finest)Â
@Aimee Mather-Taber Why do you feel sorry for them? What they do is their business.  Your life choices are yours, should I feel sorry for you? It's no one's business what other women do with their lives. That is what feminism is--choices! It's about supporting women in any choice we make.Â
@Northend @Aimee Mather-Taber The one is 17 and I have one of these close by that has a HUGE clear window and shows from head to knees at a busy intersection. NO CHOICE THERE. Just wait til one of these poor girls gets assaulted, or worse. ONLY THEN will ppl see......OH and as far as 'using' ur assets, well that all depends on how/if u value urself. PS~THESE GIRLS ARENT IN BIKINIS, thongs & tiny tops-no rules apparently?
@Aimee Mather-Taber @Northend I have to look at ugly fat people daily and others who make the worst clothing choices possible. I don't have a choice either. So what? Turn away.Â
@Aimee Mather-Taber Some girls put themselves through college doing this type of stuff.... I see your point but isn't it more appealing to show off what you have and make more money than to cover up and make minimum wage hosting tables while you go through school?
I've pulled into three different stands, not knowing they were slut huts. A SIGN forewarning normal people would be nice, btw.
 The girls in each case did not have bathing suits on. So cut the crap about it being like a beach or pool area.
In one instance, the girl had an unflattering white bra on and a white g-string, her muffin top barely covered her unshaved crotch area that had what looked like coffee grounds smeared on the front where she obviously wiped her hands, at first it looked like she started her period. It was disgusting.
I drive by one everyday and the only customers I ever see are driving up in banged up beaters or landscaping trucks. Its gross knowing these broke loser pervs are looking at naive young girls for a $3 cup of java.
There should at least be another person there, so one of these creeps doesn't eventually assult one of these girls.Â
@Ducky - you looked, you took notes even .. I mean what a detailed description of the girl in the bra, etc. And you still keep looking at the customers now. I think you're just a creep who wants to be either the girl or the 'other person there' - blah, hypocrisy I think.
3 times?
"Honey, it was the darndest thing. I saw the sign. I thought it was a mystic - a palm reader type of place. It was called Deja Vu. When I went in the gal at the front was wearing something from a circus act - you know, a little scanty but I figured that was part of the show. I sit down, the next thing you know this woman on stage had no top on. I had half a mind to get up and leave but I stayed for 3 hours and took detailed notes on each woman.
@Ducky Btw... "naive young girls"?? Phshhh, they are hardly naive in that line of work.
@Ducky The connection between beach/pool and attire is the **amount of attire**. Nobody ever said they just wear bathing suits.
@Ducky And you quickly drove away from the scene without your cup of Joe right? Nope! Stayed and took explicit notes on the attire or lack thereof. I think your credibility on this is just about..... zilch.
@Ducky Bwahahahaha 3 stands by accident???? Yea ok... I believe what you meant is you pulled up to three stands expecting to see a model however what you saw was far from it so now you oppose them. If you were as decent as you try to portray yourself you would have simply drove off......Hate to say it but deep in your conscience you are that broke loser that you speak of..