Landlord finally gets the message on Sugar's

By The Quad-City Times | Thursday, December 14, 2006

Davenport’s cat-and-mouse game with Sugar’s house of prostitution finally got the attention of the business’s landlord. Dale A. Labath, of 3426 Fairhaven Road, Davenport, has alerted the city that he will evict Sugar’s from the building he’s rented to them at 1037 W. 3rd St.

Sugar’s owner Dorothy Sampson tried to dodge the city’s effort to close the business, claiming what goes on behind the closed doors in Labath’s building isn’t her business. Her business, apparently is attracting men who contract independently with the women who work for Sampson in Labath’s building. The nature of that business is made clear by the scores of new and used condoms confiscated by police during repeated raids and undercover prostitution investigations.

Still, building owner Labath continued to accommodate the business year after year. Now, faced with an aggressive and long-awaited crackdown by Davenport’s city legal, Labath got the message. The city was prepared to close Sugar’s and prohibit any business from occupying Labath’s property for a year. Now the landlord says he’ll kick Sugar’s out now, rather than face a year with no tenant.

Labath might have overlooked complaints from other West 3rd Street business owners about the blight Sugar’s put on their neighborhood. But we’re glad to see his response now and hope he’ll join the strong group of local business owners who have higher aspirations for this neighborhood.