It should come as no surprise that investigators with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation raided eight massage parlors in the city of Warren, and it should come as no surprise what they found.
More than 50 state agents plus about a dozen police officers spread out Wednesday to execute search warrants. What they found raised some eyebrows, but a lot of people in the area who have been complaining to anyone who would listen can now say ''I told you so.'' They have been complaining about it for years.
Investigators found where people were sleeping in the massage parlors. They found two naked men at one of the parlors. They heard stories about the ''services'' that were offered. The oddities go on and on.
Again, no big surprises. A lot of people have been saying it for years. Finally, someone listened. There had to be a reason men would drive from far and wide to go to these ''spas.'' And now we know why the spas placed little ads in Cleveland newspapers, and others outside the area, I would guess, to get men to come here to the spas.
Now it's time for investigators to sift through all the evidence they collected and then decide what to do. I bet a lot of men who frequented the spas are having trouble sleeping at night, wondering what the evidence will turn up. If a patron gets caught up in this mess, it would be interesting to hear the story he tells his wife or girlfriend. I, for one, would love to hear that.
Meet the editors
Don't forget to mark your calendar for the upcoming meet-the-editor gatherings. We have a few more lined up through the summer. The monthly sessions are part of the Tribune Chronicle's bicentennial celebration. Here is a rundown:
- On Saturday, at 11 a.m. on Courthouse Square in Warren in the tent across from the log cabin. This one is part of the Tribune Chronicle's two-day Founders Festival activities on Friday and Saturday to celebrate the 200th anniversary of newspaper publishing in Warren. By the way, all the activities are free. For the Founders Festival, an opening ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, and Friday's events will conclude at 4 p.m. Activities pick back up on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m.
- In June, at 6 p.m. on the 18th, the editors will be at the Kinsman Community Hall on state Route 87.
- In July, at 6:30 p.m. on the 17th, the editors will be in Mesopotamia in the Township Meeting Room at 8800 state Route 534.
- In August at 6:30 p.m. on the 13th, we will be in Liberty at the Liberty Administration Building on state Route 304.
All of these events are being organized by Sue Shafer here at the paper, our community events coordinator. She's still working on getting locations for the remainder of the year. So far, we have been in Champion, Lordstown, Vienna and Johnston and Southington.
Robinson is the editor of the Tribune Chronicle. You can email him at frobinson@tribtoday.com