Deputies Close Region’s Only Exotic Dance Club Over Permits : Inquiry: County officials learned Castaic Junction lacks approval to offer food or entertainment.

Young women clad in bikinis and lingerie were sent scrambling for their street clothes Thursday when sheriff’s deputies shut down the Santa Clarita Valley’s only exotic dance club because it does not have the necessary county permits.

A complaint by a resident about Castaic Junction: A Gentleman’s Club, which opened June 30, prompted an investigation early this month into the establishment’s permits, said Dwight Andersen, assistant division manager for the Los Angeles County Department of Treasurer--Tax Collector.

As a result, inspectors discovered the club did not have its food license allowing it to function as a restaurant.

But more than menus met the eye at the club.

“We became aware after that there was more going on there than public eating,” he said. “We said, ‘Wait a minute, you didn’t say anything about dancers. You need a license for entertainment.’ ”

The club’s owner, Stuart Cadwell, has been warned repeatedly not to operate the club until he obtains the food and entertainment licenses, Andersen said. Cadwell has applied for both, but approval is pending, authorities said.

Deputies from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station accompanied a county investigator to Castaic Junction, at the Golden State Freeway and California 126 in Castaic, at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday, said Lt. Barbara Persten.

Lunch was being served and dancers were performing when deputies ordered the club to be shut down.

Employees did not resist deputies’ orders and no citations were issued, Persten said. However, she said, misdemeanor charges for operating the business without the appropriate licenses will be sought against Cadwell and Richard Saunders, a manager at the club, through the Los Angeles district attorney’s office

Cadwell and Saunders could not be reached Thursday for comment. However, another manager at the club said the business will reopen as soon as the permits are obtained.

“We’ve got too much at stake,” he said. “We don’t just want to pack up and walk away.”

The entertainment license will probably be the most time-consuming because a public hearing is required first, Andersen said. He said a hearing date has not been set and it will take at least another month to decide the license’s fate.

Approval is anything but a sure bet. Castaic Junction has generated controversy ever since its opening night June 30, when it featured nude dancers in an alcohol-free setting.

The building’s landlord, Newhall Land and Farming Co., went to court and obtained a restraining order the next day prohibiting nude dancing. The company claimed that it had been misled about the type of entertainment the club would offer, and that its lease prohibits “lewd or offensive” entertainment. No hearing date has been set on the restraining order.

Nearby residents have also complained to Newhall Land and county officials that the club is inappropriate for a family oriented community.

Dancers have been wearing bikinis and similar clothing since the restraining order was obtained, but Cadwell has indicated he will have to serve alcohol to ensure financial survival while the legal battles are being fought. He also said attendance has been good.

Newhall Land officials said they are hoping to close the club or force it to become a “first-class” restaurant suitable for family dining.