UNIONTOWN, Ky. — Unable to battle adult-oriented businesses through legal means, a group called War-Line is trying to put them out of business by intimidating prospective customers. And the man leading the charge is a convicted sex offender and accused murderer.

Demonstrators have been camped outside the entrance of one Lion’s Den Superstore since before it opened in August, with numbers varying day to day from a dozen to more than a hundred.

They petitioned a superior court to shut down the store, but the court refused to do so. Unsatisfied with the U.S. justice system, War-Line, under the leadership of John Reneer, is taking pictures of people who go inside and posting them on its website.

“We plan to frequent these locations with cameras and if you wish to enter a nude/bikini bar or adult book store, your photo could wind up on our site,” Reneer, who has served time for first-degree sodomy, writes on his site. “How would you like for your mother, wife, father, children, pastor or others to see your photo on the worldwide web as you enter one of these establishments? Think twice before you plan to visit one of these facilities or you could get busted on War-Line.”

The point is to shame patrons away and make it impossible for stores to operate. It’s a tactic Reneer has employed at numerous legal businesses in Indiana, Ohio and several other states, often shouting into a bullhorn that pornography promotes child molestation and sexual violence.

“People will slow down to turn in there, see the cameras and they'll either make a u-turn or they'll go across the street,” Reneer said at one demonstration.

When asked what gives him the moral authority to pass judgment on store patrons, especially considering his own history of violence, Reneer says, “There's nothing I can do now that could ever make up or alleviate what I've done in the past. My goal is to try to make a difference.”

Reneer does not mention anywhere on his site that he is a convicted felon who has been accused of murder, among numerous other charges. He does, however, post daily comments from other morally upright cupporters. For example, on Nov. 30, one visitor writes: “QUESTION: What do you do if you see a pervie lawyer on the ground writhing in agony? ANSWER: Shoot him again!”