LAS VEGAS - After a 4-year-old child was discovered Wednesday alone in a running car parked in the valet parking area of the Crazy Horse Too topless bar, nearby business and property owners responded by telling the Las Vegas Tribune that the night club does not provide adequate security.

"The little boy was sitting there sweating in a car for twenty-five minutes right in front of the bar. Where were the valets or bouncers?" asked Buffalo Jim Barrier who leases space next to the bar. "I’ve had to step over dead bodies, drunks, and guys that were beat up just to get into my business. There's no excuse for endangering a child in a car parked on their doorstep. When is this joint going to hire some security before someone else dies? If they can’t afford it, I’ll make a contribution."

The child was released in the care his mother. Reyes Franco, 32, the father, was arrested on a charge of child endangerment, a gross misdemeanor, and booked at the Clark County Detention Center.

Greg Lioce, the Crazy Horse Too's manager, told reporters that Franco was getting a lap dance until North Las Vegas police officers discovered the child by accident. Lioce did not comment on why club personnel were oblivious to the child’s endangerment directly in front of the bar’s main entrance.

"The child could easily have thrown the car in reverse and crashed into traffic on Industrial. If that happened, the owner of the bar would be liable because he does not police his property," said a witness who observed the incident.

This is not the first time that the Crazy Horse or its owner, Rick Rizzolo, has been accused of improperly supervising the conduct of patrons and employees of the bar. Several legal actions are pending in District Court that contain affidavits and other evidence indicating the bar and its owner are not minding the business properly.

On October 2, 2001, and again on November 30 of the same year, police responded to reports of men found passed out in the club’s parking lot. In one instance the inebriated man was found lying next to his vehicle with its engine running. Both men had been inside the bar prior to being found unconscious.

An affidavit filed with Clark County District Court by Robert L. Westphal states, "I am an owner and operator of a business, located at 2201 Industrial Road. The patrons of Crazy Horse Too scatter trash and garbage consisting of greeting cards of the dancers, used condoms, drug paraphernalia consisting of used needles and empty baggies, discarded beer bottles, liquor glasses and pornography of various types. Recently, I arrived at my business to find my parking lot again, particularly soiled with the above items. I went to the Crazy Horse Too and spoke with Bart Rizzolo. I asked if he would send someone to my property to clean my parking lot. Mr. Rizzolo refused to do so. I told him I would sweep it up and bring it down to Crazy Horse Too and dump it out. He replied that, if I did, he would 'blow my f---ing head off.'"

In another affidavit filed by Don Welch, it states: "Affiant worked for Jim Barrier at his All State Auto and Marine Electrical Repair Shop at 2480 Industrial Road, Las Vegas, Nevada. During the period of my employment I repeatedly observed sexual activity taking place in the parking lots surrounding Crazy Horse Too gentlemen's Club, being performed by the employees of Crazy Horse Too."

Two lawsuits have been filed against the business, one for wrongful death, another for a broken neck. One suit names Rick Rizzolo personally.

On August 4, 1995, Scott David Fau was found beaten to death next to railroad tracks behind the Crazy Horse Too. Witnesses reported seeing Fau being severely beaten by Crazy Horse employees in the parking lot after he was ejected.

On September 20, 2001, Kansas resident Kirk Henry claimed that Crazy Horse bouncers snapped his neck causing his spinal cord to sever. The incident happened on the front steps of the bar.

Following the Las Vegas Tribune breaking the story about Kirk Henry, Mayor Oscar Goodman, on October 25, 2001, told a Tribune reporter that he was considering bringing the Crazy Horse Too before the City Council on a Show Cause Hearing to explain why they should retain their privileged business license in light of numerous reported incidents. Mayor Goodman did not follow through, however.

In a desperate effort to rid the nearby neighborhood known as Meadows Village of drug and prostitution activity allegedly caused by its proximity to the Crazy Horse, apartment house owner Chris Christoff last Friday began passing out fliers instructing residents and property owners how to obtain concealed weapons permits.

Christoff told the Tribune, "The Crazy Horse is a magnet to drug users and Johns that keep crime alive in Meadows Village. There are hundreds of low-income families living just across the street from a place that draws criminals onto our streets and alleys. Now the Mayor wants to help it expand."

Christoff went on to say, "If Metro, the D.A., or City Council won’t take action against the Crazy Horse, then we as good citizens should arm ourselves to send a message to the pimps and pushers who thrive off Crazy Horse customers. We’ve got to let them know they are not welcome in our neighborhood."

"I hope when he (Rizzolo) expands his joint, he can make enough money to afford security guards," said Barrier.

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