Owners of controversial 'bikini barista' stands arrested
EVERETT, Wash. -- Two weeks after arresting a trio of so-called "bikini baristas," Everett police on Wednesday arrested the two men who own the controversial coffee stands.
Police picked up 29-year-old Bill Wheeler and his unidentified business partner on suspicion of sexual exploitation of a minor. Wheeler was booked into Snohomish County Jail and his 27-year-old partner was arrested and released, according to police.
The men own several Grab-N-Go coffee stands in the Everett area.
Last month, officers arrested three Grab-N-Go employees, including a 16-year-old Everett girl, for allegedly violating the city's adult cabaret law. The trio was released the same day and charges were referred to Everett Municipal Court prosecutors for review.
Last month's arrests were the culmination of a two-month long investigation into the coffee stands.
"Citizens complained that these locations served more than just coffee," Lt. James Duffy of the Criminal Intelligence Unit said after the February arrests.
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.
This is far from the company's first run-in with the law.
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.
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 last month. "Regardless of what they heard in the past in the media I have a zero-tolerance-policy for any of this conduct."
Police picked up 29-year-old Bill Wheeler and his unidentified business partner on suspicion of sexual exploitation of a minor. Wheeler was booked into Snohomish County Jail and his 27-year-old partner was arrested and released, according to police.
The men own several Grab-N-Go coffee stands in the Everett area.
Last month, officers arrested three Grab-N-Go employees, including a 16-year-old Everett girl, for allegedly violating the city's adult cabaret law. The trio was released the same day and charges were referred to Everett Municipal Court prosecutors for review.
Last month's arrests were the culmination of a two-month long investigation into the coffee stands.
"Citizens complained that these locations served more than just coffee," Lt. James Duffy of the Criminal Intelligence Unit said after the February arrests.
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.
This is far from the company's first run-in with the law.
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.
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 last month. "Regardless of what they heard in the past in the media I have a zero-tolerance-policy for any of this conduct."
Its legal to walk around Washington state nude, so whats the big deal? Â Just religious based laws that don't belong in the law books.
Please explain to me what the issue is? I used to be a 16 yr old years and years ago and my friends were nuts with the stunts they pulled. That was the 80s! Do you all really think you know exactly what your kids are doing 24x7? My parents never visited me at my grocery job. I could have easily lied to them about where I worked. That's not my style though and I don't pass judgement on others.  Teens lie all of the time! What a waste of time. Cops need to catch real criminals.Â
I would bet money that while they were checking this grab n go out trying to catch some pittily innocent fun, that somewhere down the road at a usual bad spot somebody probably was doing a lot worse stuff and hurting people in worse ways than what this little innocent fun was.
This is total B.S, this guy i guarantee didnt know what was going on nor do i think he had any idea that he had a 16 yr old bikini barista. I know like 5 girls myself who have fake id's saying they are over 21 when they are really 16 or 17. As an owner that can happen to anyone who owns a coffe stand or any other business. The sas thing here is that, if somehow he did know and allow this he will probably get more prison time than that little idiot p.o.s who got only 6 years for killing tuba man and shooting another person like 2 years later. I think our law inforcment and justice system needs to stop paying attention to stupid things like this which honestly was just a lttle bit of innocent fun and start worrying about all these murderers who only get 5 or 6 years of prison time.
The stand is called "Grab and Go" Â and they are scantily clad. Â Do you really expect anything less? Â They are probably making such a big deal because the police officers would rather waste their time checking out these coffee stands than fighting real crime.
A complete and utter waste of precious resources that could be used to fight actual crimes!!
But a fine example of what is wrong within our law enforcement systems. Please focus on the real problems that plague us!!!
wait I don't understand! I thought these xxx coffee stands were just like going to the beach? You know like  whats the big deal?Â
Uhh.... first of all it's stupid they arrest them for this. Secondly, shouldn't they have arrested the baristas if they were breaking the law? Why would they arrest the owner? This makes no sense.
Their "privates"? Is this 3rd grade?
@Chris I know right? Use the proper medical term and if anyone is offended, then they need to stop being such prudes.
If it weren't for the 16 year old I would be totally okay with this. I don't see why a business owner would risk it all hiring a 16 year old. I wonder if her parents signed some kind of consent form. I really think Americans need to get over this fear of sexuality. We all do it, we all want it, and naturally we should. It's all these damn religions that run the country that make people feel guilty.
@AndySue28 Or if the 16 year old lied on the job application.
The 16 y/o is a definite issue. Nice parenting BTW, "you're doing what for a living?!" But other than that, we don't need any more friggin laws and/or ordinances. If the community stops going there they would go away for lack of money, otherwise shutup and live your life.
Everybody has to have a "cause" these days...we have too many causes. My "cause" is to stop causes, do you realize the number of things you can be fined or go to jail for? Do realize its constantly growing? If we don't stop adding new things we end up in a bad way.
Total waste of tax payers money. How about this level of investment in preventing serious crimes????
They should rename the espresso stand Ho Hut as that's much more appropriate for what they offer.Â
Having a 16 yr old stripping for you in a coffee stand , man you guys are going to prison. Can you say  Bubba , pass me the soap ?
Crap Man....where am i gonna get my coffee now?!!!!!!
I've never really understood what the big turn on is about these places for it's "customers". Â Feel the same way about strip joints. Â I mean it's basically guys ogling at scantily clad women who only care about the bulge in your wallet. Â I like to look at a beautiful woman as much as anyone, but I'd feel like an pathetic idiot having to pay cash to do so. Â
@Sparky2112 Yah... considering Pr0n is free on the Internet these days. :-))
@Sparky2112Â there is nothing wrong with getting a latte from and nice looking woman. the fact that she is nearly nude, is besides the point. Your paying for the coffee.
@sportbuff01Â @Sparky2112Â I agree. In fact I enjoy the friendly smiles from the pretty young (fully clothed) women where I get my occasional latte. Â But I go there to get a coffee, the friendly smiles from the pretty girls are simply a nice bonus. Â At these bikini stands you are going to them to ogle scantly clad women, and the coffee is nothing more than an excuse to do so. Â I think there's a huge difference. Â
That pretty well sums up the situation. Perverts drooling and paying for something they can NEVER have. And the girls know it. Give some guy a "peek" and they'll give you almost anything for a couple seconds of self gratification. It's sad, to imagine what most of these women could do with there lives if they wanted to. They can easly do better for themselves, then trying to impress perverts.Â
@EASTSIDE 1Â I actually find it of psychological interest that many guys have no problem with this "disconnect". Â The thought that the girls have absolutely no actual interest in them is of no concern at all. Â That or they have the ability to actually believe that the girls actually do (when 99 times out of a 100, they don't - trust me on that one). Â I mean if you simply look at a woman as a visual sexual stimulus and don't care if they actually like, care or even look at you in the same way (not likely) - you are basically self-serving yourself (there's a word for that that starts with an M, but I was afraid I'd get censored). Â Â
Time for $100,000.00 fines and a dress code if these girls can't learn keep their clothes on. If I were the parents of the 16 year old I would sue big time for allowing my daughter to do this kind of unsupervised crap while employed by them. All the espresso stands like these should be forced to put in recorded-wireless security system to monitor these girls if they don't know the laws.
This crap is getting out of hand. Where's the dignity and respect gone. Their suppose to be "Baristas" for Chri$t sake not "Strippers". Ladies.............Have a little respect for yourself and others.
we need to see if the stands should be all shut down and placed into a CLOSED INVEROMENT? if it is a interment business then it should be regulated in a closed building and payed for that way just like a go go dancing place THINK ABOUT THAT people of the law
 licking whipped cream off of each other in exchange for money... now that's the straw that broke the camel's back right there!! That is beyond lewd and it's clearly against the law. With respect to the 16yr old... they are responsible - yes.
The owner and business partner arrested? Perfect--they are criminals exploiting young women.
@plantfann Exactly.  The coffee stand is incidental.  Mr. Wheeler and his business partner are pimps, plain and simple.
I read in the Herald that the owner allegedly did not pay the young ladies or women wages - that they made their income solely on tips. Why would anyone agree to this? That whole chain of sexpresso stands is totally sketchy.
Bad judgement on the part of the teen and her PARENTS for working there.
Having said that I would rather have seen the resources focused on rescuing some others that are her age and even younger that are FORCED into prostitution. The police are spread thin enough as it is. Too many drug dealers out there than to worry about a 2 week investigation into whether or not someone is flashing.
It would be nice if there were more community watch groups that would get invovled to help out the police with these more mennis type places.
Can't believe most of the comments here. Did everyone miss the part about the 16 year old?
Can someone please tell me who the "victims" are here? I'm sure not a single barista was forced to work there. It is highly unlikely that someone was coerced into paying for the extra show. The only victim I can think of is some self righteous wife that doesn't want her husband to see what a woman that takes care of herself look like.
@4ShotLatte Really? Is that really what you think about a 16 year old girl doing these kind of things?? If so then you yourself are about as messed up as this whole situation.Â
If you had a 16 year old daughter and she was doing this kid of stuff you'd probably support her also, right?
The victims are the young girls that are being taught that it's ok to expose yourself to anyone for money. How is that right?? SHE'S A MINOR and it's illegal for her to get paid anywhere to take off her cloths and expose herself. You do know that also right?
It's people like you that are the reason these "Sickspresso" stand exist in the first place. Â
@Seahawker If she were forced to do it then she would be a victim. If she lied about her age & had fake ID in order to get the job then it is the owner that is a victim of her fraud. The acts they describe were from prior arrests months ago. The gave no detail what the 16 y/o was doing if anything. I agree she should not be anywhere near that place but again I ask who is the victim?
@4ShotLatte @Seahawker I agree. having been a 16 yr old girl many many years ago i can tell you my friends did insane crazy stuff and no their parents never know.  Everyone thinks " not my kid" um yes your kid.Â
If it can be proven that Wheeler knew what was happening, he could be doing his OWN show in a little box in the near future.
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@Mumblix Grumph lol... snatch & go
Glad to know that all the murders, thefts, and burglaries have been solved, since police obviously have nothing better to do than harass consenting adults making their own decisions who aren't hurting anyone.Â
@Joey Valentine except one of them was not an "adult"...
Perhaps they should get the same type of licensing that topless bars do and go for it. Make the drive through have visual privacy and such. They may have to move a few of their stands, but hey. Although the "group" that owns most of topless places would probably not welcome the competition.
If he truly has video that exonerates them all, the police have wasted a colossal amount of time and $$$. Even without the video, I still think the police have a lower grade of criminals to focus on.
"allegedly giving customers "shows" for money without actually serving any coffee."
So with this statement in mind, would it t hen be okay to give shows if they actually SOLD coffee? Â
@snow surfer They make it seem that way don't they. Â
Next komo headline. Bikini barista serves coffee after bj, so it's ok.
I guess Everett doesn't have any real crimes to investigate?? You know... crimes where there are actually victims.
So, my question; How many coffees did it take to see all of the crimes being committed? How many violations? How may girls? All of this is subjective. I think the police should be found guilty of sexual molestation, If their finger penetrated any hole (say ear or mouth) and it was unwarranted, that is rape. These girls are trying to make money and no matter if we agree or not. The coffee stand should not be held liable unless he told the girls you must do this or pulled their clothes off. I would like to know, just how much coffee it really took. How many acts had to be noticed and how many different police. The girls were in the wrong, I have been to these coffee stands before. I have seen some suggestive behavior but, nothing to that extreme. I think the police may have gone over board on the tips and so the girls were thankful and went overboard as well.
@pman71@yahoo.com Welcome to the wonderful world of vice investigation.
Enforcing subjective things like "values" and "decency" is an illegitimate use of violence. And all it does is lead to allocation of resources toward making sure people aren't doing things that offend some others while actual violence is going on.
@Pahana Where was violence used here? I didn't read anything about anyone being struck, having a gun pointed at them, etc. And don't forget the 16 year old alleged to be involved.Â
According to Lt. James Duffy of the Criminal Intelligence Unit his swarm of detectives dedicated 2 weeks to investigate scantly clad coffee gals, which to me doesn't seem like an intelligent use of taxpayer dollars.Â
Come on Everett cops, start thinking with your big head
Sure glad to hear that these hardened criminals have been taken off the streets of Everett to make it safer for thugs, druggies and drunks roaming that town...