NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – A meeting planned for Wednesday for North Myrtle Beach City Council to decide whether the business licenses for a convicted sex offender and suspect in an Horry County child sex crime case should be revoked has been cancelled.
According to city spokesperson Pat Dowling, the owner of Phil’s Lock & Key, located at 2811 Highway 17 South, Peter Spirakis, voluntarily gave up his business licenses Monday.
City council was previously set to meet April 6 at 2 p.m. at City Hall for a hearing to determine whether business licenses associated with Phil’s Lock & Key should be withdrawn. Based on Spirakis forfeiting his licenses, the meeting is cancelled.
City officials received a letter from Spirakis’ lawyer, George N. Spirakis with Spirakis Law Office, P.A. dated April 4 which states in part, “By this letter my client is voluntarily surrendering his Business & Professional Licenses.”WEB EXTRA: View letter sent to City of North Myrtle Beach from George N. Spirakis
Panteleimon N. Spirakis, also known as Peter Spirakis, is the owner of Phil’s Lock & Key. Spirakis is one of four suspects in an Horry County investigation into two 4-year-old children being sexually abused on numerous occasions, including at a Myrtle Beach strip club, Chez Joey.
Spirakis, 55, of Myrtle Beach, is charged with criminal sexual conduct with minor in the first degree, sexual exploitation of a minor in the first degree, and engaging a child for sexual performance.
A letter from the City of North Myrtle Beach Revenue Supervisor was sent to Spirakis on March 18 to advise him that Spirakis’ “business licenses for Phil’s Lock & Key, located at 28 I I Hwy l7 S are suspended pending a hearing before council to determine whether the licenses should be revoked.”
The notice goes on to state “the request to revoke the business license was initiated by the Finance Director of the City of North Myrtle Beach. He made this request after city staff discovered that you were convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude in 2012.”WEB EXTRA: View letter sent to child sex crime suspect Peter Spirakis from City of North Myrtle Beach
Included with the letter to Spirakis was a copy of the applicable ordinances which apply to the revocation of business licenses.