Balcony Scene Sans Permit Gets Vice Squad’s Attention

The neighbors were unhappy the couple was having sex on the balcony. And the prosecutor didn’t like it that the sex was allegedly being filmed without a permit, with electricity pirated from the Department of Water and Power.

On Friday, porn filmmaker Mitchell Weston faced a low-budget auteur’s nightmare--criminal charges which could land him in state prison.

“It wasn’t like they were having sex in a park or on the beach,” said Weston’s attorney, Stuart Goldfarb. “They made an effort to keep it private.”

Not good enough for the neighbors of the vacant two-story house in the 4900 block of Kelvin Avenue, who complained to City Councilman Marvin Braude that strange people were having sex on the upper balcony of the house, Deputy City Atty. Deborah Sanchez said.

That led to a raid by the LAPD’s West Valley vice squad, which found the actors fully engaged on the balcony, cameras rolling, Sanchez said. They also discovered that electrical power cables were attached to a DWP service box, drawing free electricity to power the equipment, Sanchez said.

“I can’t believe these guys did that,” Sanchez said.

Weston, a 37-year-old Woodland Hills resident and owner of Plum Productions, was charged Friday with one count each of filming without a permit and unlawfully obtaining utility services, Sanchez said. If convicted, he faces up to six months in prison for filming without a permit and one year in county jail or state prison for the utility charge.

“Theft of public utilities is a big deal,” Sanchez said.