Best Friend in the News Again
Posted by the Kenmore Crow | Filed under Business
Gotta say, I’m surprised neither of the competing Kenmore blogs have jumped on this story…
From Tuesday’s Kenmore Reporter: Customer orders a hot chocolate, allegedly gets a bit more at Kenmore stand
King County Sheriff’s detectives are investigating an incident in which a female barista at the Best Friend coffee stand in Kenmore allegedly exposed herself to a male customer buying a hot chocolate.
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The reporting party told police he visited Best Friend after retrieving his car from the nearby Kenmore Park and Ride Lot. He stated he had no idea the coffee shop employed bikini-clad baristas. After he ordered his drink, the female barista allegedly asked him if he wanted a show. The man said he nervously responded positively, not really knowing what to expect.According to the police report, the man states the barista allegedly exposed herself from the waist up and from the waist down, reportedly fondling herself briefly. Asked by the barista if he had enjoyed himself, the man reportedly said, “No,” and drove off with his drink but no change from a 20-dollar bill.
Follow-up on KIRO 7 yesterday: Why Prosecutors Can’t Charge Baristas Who Bare It All (video)
KIRO 7 Eyewitness News morning anchor Chris Egert found that King County sheriff’s deputies have pages and pages of reports documenting questionable activities at a Kenmore espresso stand, yet so far, not a single case has made it to court.
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It is stuff too raunchy to put in this report. It is beyond the level of bikinis: private body parts put on display, all body parts, exposed to undercover deputies.“At the face of this you’d say, ‘Well, my gosh. There’s indecent exposure, or perhaps even prostitution involved here.’ But as we read the statute, and more importantly as the prosecutors read the statutes and the city ordinance in Kenmore, it does not appear that there has been any crime committed,” said Sgt. John Urquhart of the King County Sheriff’s Office.
Even though investigators saw women take off their clothes, expose their breasts, backsides and vaginas, it is not a violation of the law.
City of Kenmore prosecutors told deputies that what happened doesn’t meet filing standards for indecent exposure or prostitution.
The King County Prosecutor’s Office could, in theory, attempt to move forward with charges, but said that even if it wanted to, it doesn’t have the resources to proceed.
What would it take to have charges filed? A victim—someone who isn’t a cop—and who didn’t want the show undercover investigators said was being offered at Best Friend Espresso.
Of course, none of the victims are willing to do that, so it would seem that for now, the show must go on.
I’m not going to sit here and defend the caffeinated peep show, but I have to wonder… why are King County sheriff’s deputies spending their time making multiple “undercover” stops to Best Friend, if nothing that’s happening there is illegal enough for them to pursue criminal charges?
I’ve got one theory…
Just sayin’.
Tags: Best-Friends, bikini, Business, photo
4 Responses to “Best Friend in the News Again”
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Been there a few times and have never had anything other than pleasant small talk. Sounds like something someone would make up because they didn’t like the place…
“I ordered a cocoa like my mother used to make and she forced me to look at her whoo-ha!”
What would YOU think if someone in a bikini or panties asked if you wanted a show? Hehe.
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Why am I not surprised about the above article… It’s just another instance of apathetic status quo that happens here in our fair little city.
I really wish that Best Friend espresso stand would relocate to a more remote part of Kenmore, just like the Beehive espresso in Bothell did. I have said it before and I will say it again: Bikini Barista stands are adult entertainment. Period. What happened just recently is a sample of what really happens. Many of these girls who work these stands know they can get more money if they “go above and beyond” their so-called barista roll.
It is not in Kenmore’s best interest for its image, to have the Best Friend espresso stand right there in the open, on the St. Vincent de Paul parking lot, and on the corner of an intersection that is traveled heavily by school children on their way to and from Kenmore Elementary.
Believe me, relocating Best Friend to a more appropriate location (for adult entertainment) will NOT hurt its business. Patrons WILL seek the stand out. Beehive espresso seems to have customers all of the time in its new and more remote location whenever I pass Beehive by, so…it should be no different for Best Friend if they would do the right thing and relocate as well.
It’s just a shame that Kenmore doesn’t take action and help Best Friend relocate. This bikini barista stand has no place in a city that’s trying to revive its image. But…maybe my wish is just a pipe dream.
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You know, I don’t need any T&A with my latté. I don’t go to Best Friend Espresso any more. If I want to see scantily clad women, I have the internet. :-)
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Passing by there this morning 12/7 on the way to Kenmore Elementary School, I noticed a banner hanging on the side of the Best Friend Espresso building which officially proclaims that Best Friend is officially family-friendly. I’m glad to see someone came to their senses and realized that the establishment in it’s adult-themed form, in that particular location, was not conducive to Kenmore’s image. I wonder who pulled strings, here, to make this happen. Hmmm… (Also notice that the sex shop next to Mr. T’s is gone too. Maybe Kenmore is finally pulling out of its apathetic state!)
LG Skanse Says:
December 4th, 2010 at 4:34 PM