Nation IN BRIEF : OHIO : Cincinnati to Try Obscenity Case

Hamilton County Prosecutor Art Ney said the city of Cincinnati, not the county, will prosecute an obscenity case against the Contemporary Arts Center. The center and its director were indicted by a grand jury on April 7 for exhibiting sexually explicit photographs taken by the late Robert Mapplethorpe. Officials said that, because the alleged misdemeanor occurred in the city, state law requires the city to prosecute. Ney said that, if the county prosecuted, the defendants could argue that they were being tried in the wrong jurisdiction. Despite the indictments, the exhibition is still on display.