A couple were arrested in Las Vegas for allegedly having sex in public in a cabin of the “High Roller” Ferris wheel, a half-hour-long ride that is billed as the “Happiest Half Hour in Vegas!”
As the 30-minute ride concluded, police arrested Philip Frank Panzica III and Chloe Alexis Scordianos for smoking and having sex in cabin 16 of the 550-foot-diameter Ferris wheel.
Operators of the ride said, when surveillance cameras spied the couple smoking and then disrobing and engaging in sexual activity, they warned them to cease the activity using the intercom system. The couple, who were alone in the cab, ignored the warnings and continued their activity.
Police told the media they watched the video and “clearly saw Scordianos laying on her back in the center of the cabin. Panzica was on his knees over Scordianos and removed her dress. He also removed his clothes while standing up, exposing his penis and bare buttocks, allowing anyone in public to see.”
The cabins of the ride are enclosed in glass, and some reports say people in other nearby cabins were taking cell phone video of the couple’s amorous antics. Officials did not release any of the surveillance video.
Police reported that, in their defense, the pair said, “they were just having a good time and didn’t think anyone would notice.”
Houston, Texas, resident Panzica and New Yorker Scordianos were booked into Clark County Detention Center and charged with committing sex acts in a public place. It was also discovered that Panzica had an outstanding warrant from Laughlin, Texas.
Chris Rasmussen, Scordianos’s lawyer, said his client believed she had an expectation of privacy while having sex inside the glass-walled cabin.
By Wednesday, a Las Vegas judge was looking to see if the charges could be resolved without a trial.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston, or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
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