Cherry Pit Swingers

The City of Duncanville has countersued the host of a neighborhood swingers club, continuing a legal battle that began when the city passed an ordinance aimed at shuttering the sex parties for good.

The Dallas suburb wants a judge to order Jim Trulock to stop the weekend gatherings at his home, which attract upward of 100 guests and transform his house into "The Cherry Pit."

The city's lawsuit alleges that The Cherry Pit poses a risk to public health by not having any measures or policy in place to safeguard against the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. The suit also alleges that the club has harmed the city's image and lowered property values.

It's been the center of nutter controversy for months. Now the Duncanville City Council thinks it has a way to halt activity at the Cherry Pit "swingers" club.

Council members changed the wording of a city ordinance to redefine a "sex club."

Such clubs are banned from the entire city except for an area off Highway 67.

The council modified the definition of "sex club" to include the types of sexual behavior prohibited in clubs where people are paying to attend.

They say the Cherry Pit — which operates in a house in a residential neighborhood — is in violation of at least three city ordinances. The council is moving closer to holding a hearing so they'll be able to shut the club down, but still let the homeowners remain.

The owners of the Cherry Pit, a swingers club in Duncanville, are in trouble with the law again.

Owners James Trulock and Julie Norris were arrested late this week on suspicion of money laundering, a second degree felony.

If convicted, they could face two to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

The Duncanville city council approved an ordinance this past year prohibiting sexually oriented businesses within the city limits. City leaders said the Cherry Pit, a home near Interstate 20 and North Cedar Ridge Drive where Trulock and Norris hosted swingers parties, qualifies as a sexually oriented business because it takes money at the door.

 

A man 'illegally' used his home to run a sex club in his quiet suburban Dallas neighborhood, a municipal jury ruled Tuesday.

Jim Trulock was found guilty on five counts of operating a sexually oriented business without a permit and five counts of operating a sex club, all misdemeanors. He faces $7,500 in fines, but he also has pending criminal charges tied to his weekend swinger parties.

He also was charged with suspicion of engaging in organized criminal activity, a felony that carries a sentence of five to 99 years or life in prison and a fine up to $10,000. A court date for that charge has not been set.

Attorneys for Trulock said his home was not a business, but rather a private residence where friends socialized. A Web site advertising the weekend parties at The Cherry Pit showed a room of beds grouped together and underwear hanging above a bar.

City prosecutors contended that the Web site and admission charges proved the home was being used as a business. Trulock's attorneys said the money came from voluntary donations.