Trial in East Texas sex club postponed

DALLAS (AP) - The next trial of an East Texas swingers club accused of forcing children into sex shows was postponed Monday amid new allegations that the foster father to the young victims molested other children.
But prosecutors said that California child sex charges against John Cantrell, who has custody of three siblings who allegedly performed inside the club, has nothing to do with their case in Texas.
Cantrell, 64, was charged last week with sexually assaulting two of his foster children in 1990. Margie Cantrell, his wife, has denied the allegations.
Margie Cantrell first told authorities in 2005 about what the children - who are now ages 12, 10, and 7 - revealed to her about having being forced into sex inside the windowless rooms of a former daycare.
``What does the fact that he was investigated 18 years ago, when the victims in our case were not even alive, have to do with the guilt or innocence of these defendants on trial today?'' Smith County District Attorney Matt Bingham said.
State District Judge Jack Skeen Jr. pushed back the start of Patrick Kelly's trial until June 30, granting a request by Kelly's attorneys to allow time to investigate the charges against John Cantrell.
Texas Child Protective Services has temporarily forbidden the foster parent to see the children. Cantrell has bonded out of Wood County Jail and is awaiting extradition.
``Our investigation is open and CPS is taking steps to prevent his access to the children,'' Shari Pulliam, a spokeswoman for the agency, wrote in an e-mail.
Kelly, 41, is set to be the third alleged member of the so-called ``Mineola Swingers Club'' to stand trial. He and five others are accused of teaching children as young as 5 to have sex with each other and dance provocatively for crowds as large as 100 people.
The first two defendants to stand trial were both sentenced to life in prison. Thad Davidson, Kelly's lawyer, says his client passed a lie-detector test and is innocent.
Also Monday, two local reporters who have covered the swingers club trials were subpoenaed to testify Friday about allegedly dating the state's lead prosecutor in the case.
Davidson said he plans to ask Tyler Morning Telegraph reporter Casey Knaupp and KLTV reporter Danielle Capper about their relationships with Smith County Assistant District Attorney Joe Murphy. Davidson is fighting to move the trial outside of Tyler, which is about 25 miles from where the club was located.
Davidson said the reporters' coverage of the case has been biased and has colored the prospective jury pool in Smith County.
``We weren't aware of the relationship, but we stand by the professionalism of our reporter. Casey has always maintained the highest standard of quality and the body of her work stands on its own,'' said Dave Berry, managing editor of the Tyler Morning Telegraph.
Berry said the paper will seek to quash the subpoena at a Tuesday hearing.
KLTV said it would have no comment.
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