Porn star has her day in Pierce Co. court

06:20 PM PDT on Thursday, September 8, 2005

By PAUL AKER / KING 5 News

LAKEWOOD, Wash.- When Mary Carey reached to touch herself at Lakewood's club paradise strip-club, the 25-year-old porn queen exposed herself to something even she hasn't seen before - legal troubles.

"I've been in strip clubs in about 40 different states and I would say the laws here are very - this is the strictest state ever," she said.

The Lakewood Police Department arrested Carey, legal name Cook, for violating the city's cabaret ordinance.

She entered a plea agreement to two misdemeanors Thursday. Carey was ordered to pay $300 and stay out of trouble, or face a year-and-a-half in jail.

While respectful before the judge, outside the courtroom Carey took center stage, this time to blast Washington as being too conservative.

"These strip club laws here are extremely ridiculous," Carey said.

KING

Mary Carey

Carey says she's even thinking about moving to Washington so she can do what she did in California - run for governor. Her platform: more liberal adult entertainment laws.

"I think I would stand a better chance here, because Arnold might be hard to beat, even though he's going down in the polls. I think that in this state I would stand a really good chance. Then we could make lap dances tax-deductible, which was one of my platforms in California," she said outside the courthouse.

Pastor Dennis Fountain calls Carey's idea ridiculous. He thinks the city of Lakewood has improved largely because of a crack-down on adult dance clubs.

"So as our community, Lakewood community, we're wanting to raise those standards. And for her to try to lower them and turn things around, I think it's ludicrous," Fountain said. "It's wrong."

So while it's hard to tell whether Carey is serious or just grand-standing, at least part of Lakewood hopes she'll take her act somewhere else.