Caddo Deputies Arrest Freaknik Organizer

The organizer and promoter of the local Freaknik music festival was arrested Friday by the Caddo Sheriff`s Office on obscenity and money laundering charges. 34-year-old Benson Bell was arrested on a warrant obtained by Caddo Sheriff`s Detective Sgt. Jay Long. The charges stem from lewd behavior including nude dancing and oral sex that took place on stage at the July 30th festival in Gilliam. Freaknik is an annual event that in the past has included music, car shows, and thong contests. At July`s event, which took place at the Red River Raceway, two men were selected from the audience of more than 200 to participate in oral sex with a woman on stage. The woman is believed to have been part of the production. Prator said the Sheriff`s Office received a tip about the public display and also learned that the events had been recorded. The DVDs were sold for $10 each from a booth Bell rented at a local barber shop. An undercover deputy with the Sheriff`s Office purchased one of the DVDs, which was titled the "Raw, Uncut Version of Freaknik 2K6." Caddo District Judge Eugene Bryson signed Bell`s arrest warrant and subpoena for Bell`s bank records from a local credit union. The money laundering charge against Bell pertains to profiting from an illegal act. Detectives are still working to identify the individuals who participated in the public sex acts.