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Music store owner arrested in sting

An employee of the Music Shack in Spring Hill also was arrested in the Sheriff's Office undercover operation.

By MICHAEL KRUSE
Published October 29, 2005

BROOKSVILLE - Say this much for Chris R. Frenck: He sure was brazen and upfront, according to authorities, about selling pot, porn and paraphernalia out of his Spring Hill store called the Music Shack.

Frenck, 46, of 18019 McMullen Road, in the Pasco County part of Spring Hill, was arrested last week and charged with sale of marijuana, sale of marijuana to a minor and possession of marijuana, paraphernalia and two antianxiety drugs.

During a Friday morning news conference, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office showed off some of the loot seized during so-called Operation Music Shack.

Jackie L. Bothelho, 39, who lives with Frenck, also was arrested. She was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of paraphernalia.

Frenck and Bothelho posted bail this week and were released from the Hernando County Jail.

According to records in Hernando and Pasco counties, as well as state records, Frenck has no prior criminal record.

"I did wrong," he said when reached Friday afternoon at his home. "I can admit that."

Then he said he should probably talk to his lawyer before he said anything else.

Then he said this:

"We're not the big fish here."

And this:

"I can tell you this much. I'm guessing they probably put about $300,000 of taxpayer money into this sting or this Operation Cobweb or whatever. And they came up with a total of - what? - 30 grams."

The response from the Sheriff's Office?

"He has no clue. He has no clue what he's talking about," spokeswoman Deputy Donna Black said. "It was a pretty quick deal. We caught him dealing drugs right in front of our detectives. It was not a long, protracted investigation."

The first tip, actually, came over the sheriff's anonymous tip line in June 2004, Sheriff Richard Nugent said, when the Music Shack was at a different location on Spring Hill Drive.

The Music Shack resurfaced again this month. Two 16-year-olds had marijuana on them during a traffic stop Oct. 11. They were asked where they had gotten it.

The teens were forthright.

Out of the Music Shack, Nugent said during the news conference, Frenck was selling bootlegged watches, CDs and DVDs - including Jenna Jameson porn movies - and all sorts of paraphernalia, including pipes, bongs and even fluorescent highlighter markers with pipes hidden in carved-out insides.

The majority of his customers, Nugent said, were 16- to 18-year-olds.

"He was selling basically everything to help kids utilize illicit drugs," the sheriff said. "One-stop shopping. Full service."

On Oct. 20, at the store at 2129 Mariner Blvd., in the corner of an old strip center set between a Checkers and a Dairy Queen, undercover narcotics detectives from the Sheriff's Office bought marijuana from Frenck and watched two teen girls do the same.

They executed the search warrant the next day.

Bothelho was arrested at the store.

Frenck was arrested later after a traffic stop.

Inside the Music Shack, the price list hung on the wall, out in the open - "Labeled List of Prices For Stuff In Display" - offering small bags for $10, medium bags for $15 and large bags for $20. Also on the list: a biker roach clip for $12, hemp anklets and necklaces for $7 and $10, respectively, and doses of detox at $27 apiece.

The gumball machine in the store had a HUGS NOT DRUGS sticker.

At the news conference on Friday, four detectives, arms crossed, stood straight and stiff behind a table with the stuff that was seized. They were wearing black T-shirts, black pants, black guns on their black belts and black hoods that covered their faces and heads.

On the table: about $1,500 in bills from 5s to 100s, little plastic baggies of small wads of leafy green stuff, glass pipes and tall bongs, the bootlegged watches and the hollowed-out Hi-Liters and blunt wrappers with flavors like candy apple, Jamaican rum and something called wet mango.

Frenck was charged with either having or selling or intending to sell an aggregate 31.3 grams of marijuana.

More than enough, Nugent said, to put him in "the Hilton of Hernando County."

Bothelho posted $10,500 bail.

Frenck posted $41,000 bail.

Four teenagers also were arrested in connection with the bust.

On Friday, the Music Shack was dark, and a white-paper, green-ink sign was taped to the blue door:

ON VACATION

BE BACK MON.

HAVE A NICE WEEKEND.

It was signed by Frenck.

Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report. Michael Kruse can be reached at mkruse@sptimes.com or 352 848-1434.

[Last modified October 29, 2005, 01:45:21]