Brushstrokes is putting distance between the popular gay retail outlet and a former owner, a day after he was sentenced to eight years in federal prison on child porn charges.
The statement, issued Thursday, came from Mark Jackson, who co-owned Brushstrokes and its sexy sibling Pleasures for nearly 25 years with partner Thomas Schloeder (photo). On Wednesday, Schloeder was sentenced to 8 years, 1 month in prison and fined $75,000 for hoarding thousands of child porn images on his home computers.
Prior to the arrest of Mr. Thomas Schloeder, neither Brushstrokes nor Mark Jackson had any knowledge of Schloeder's offenses. In an effort to distance his personal legal troubles from that of the business, Schloeder sold his ownership interest in Brushstrokes in 2012. As a condition of his bond, Schloeder has remained an employee until he reports to a federal correctional facility in August. Following yesterday's sentencing, Schloeder will no longer work onsite at either store.
Our thoughts right now are with the victims, their families, and everyone else affected by this terrible situation. Our thoughts are also with our community. We have been at your service and supported Atlanta's LGBTQ community for nearly a quarter of a century; we draw our strength from you. We will continue our commitment to equality now and in the future.
The Brookhaven home Jackson and Schloeder shared was raided by local police and federal authorities in November. Schloeder was indicted in February and arrested in early March. He pleaded guilty on May 2. Throughout the process, neither man nor the business talked publicly about the case nor any change to Schloeder's ownership.
