Truesee's Daily Wonder

Woman charged with running strip club in basement

 Updated July 28, 2009

By Megan Matteucci and Alyse Knorr

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

An alleged illegal strip club inside a Lawrenceville home attracted up to 200 people, including teenagers in the middle of the night, a neighbor said.

Jim Ferguson, who lives next door to the makeshift club, said he called police around 2:30 a.m. July 18 to complain about a noisy party.

“I heard a young woman ... yelling ‘I’m going to kill you,’” Ferguson recalled Tuesday.

He went outside and saw dozens of cars parked along his street and around the block. Teenagers were roaming around the street and the parking lot of the Georgia Power office across the road, Ferguson said.

Gwinnett County Police said the homeowner, Constance Trahan, was operating a strip club in the basement and garage of her home in the 1400 block of Purcell Road.

Police said they found a sign that read “1 Dollar Jello Shots,” along with minors consuming alcohol on July 18.

“There were about 200 people there,” Ferguson said Tuesday. “It took an hour and half to clear the house.”

Trahan was at work Tuesday afternoon and not immediately available for comment, but her friends said there is no club at the home.

“It was a regular gathering,” said Christyan Hall, who lives with Trahan. “It’s just a misunderstanding.”

Trahan, a carpenter, had just finished renovating her Lawrenceville home. She set up a lounge area for the group to relax, Hall said.

Friends threw Trahan, 28, a party to celebrate her birthday and the newly remodeled home, Hall said.

The party ended with police at the door and guests fleeing.

“The music was loud, but it’s a quiet home. There were no strippers, no club, no underage drinking,” Hall said Tuesday. “What people do in the privacy of their own home is their own business.”

Hall said the Jell-O shots were for the adult guests.

Trahan was charged with maintaining a disorderly house, a misdemeanor. She remains fee on a $1,300 bond.

Police also arrested party guest Lester Ramirez, 20, who told officers there were dances in the garage/basement area and that Trahan was selling alcohol, according to a police report.

Ramirez, who lied about his age, was found carrying marijuana in his mouth, according to a police report.

Ramirez was charged with marijuana and alcohol possession, along with providing police with a false date of birth. He has since been released on a $3,900 bond.

Ferguson said he never saw any dancers, but knew there something more than a birthday party going on next door.

“It was just too intense to be a house party. This was like a bar,” he said. “There were lots of people who don’t know each other coming.”

Neighbors said Trahan rents rooms inside her home to several adults.

The July 18 party was the latest in a series of noisy gatherings at Trahan’s home, neighbors said.

Ferguson said he also called police last month after being awoken to excessive noise and traffic in front of his home. Ferguson said he had to stand in front of his driveway to prevent people from parking and doing wheelies on his property.

On Tuesday, Trahan’s ranch style house was quiet. Several friends talked in the driveway, but there were no signs of a club. Lawn chairs sat in the yard and a basketball lay next to the driveway.

Ferguson said he hopes the arrests will send a message to his neighbors, especially since his 7-year-old son will have to start school soon.

“For the past few nights, I’ve finally been able to sleep,” Ferguson said. “I hope it stays this way. ... In a situation like this, anything could happen.”

Gwinnett County Police Lawrenceville resident Constance Trahan has been charged with maintaining a disorderly home for allegedly operating a strip club in her basement.

Megan Matteucci, [email protected] Gwinnett County police allege Constance Trahan, a carpenter by trade, ran a strip club in the basement of this home on Purcell Road in Lawrenceville. Friends of Trahan deny the charge.