Woman Faces Charge for Selling Sex Toys
Mon Dec 15, 7:37 PM ET
By ANGELA K. BROWN, Associated Press Writer
CLEBURNE, Texas - Joanne Webb intended to spice up marriages and earn extra cash by selling erotic toys.
Instead, the former fifth-grade teacher and executive board member of the Burleson Chamber of Commerce (news - web sites) faces criminal charges and embarrassment after a police sting.
"It's ludicrous to think that the government can step into our bedrooms," said Webb, who has been married 20 years and has three children.
Webb was one of 3,000 consultants for Passion Parties, a San Francisco-based company whose representatives set up Tupperware-type parties for women who feel more comfortable buying marital aids (news - web sites) in a private home than at an adult bookstore or on the Internet.
"We're doing a wonderful service, and we're not doing anything wrong," company President Pat Davis said.
A consultant since June and the first Passion Parties' consultant charged with obscenity in the company's 10-year history, Webb was charged with a misdemeanor under the state's obscenity law.
Adult stores sell sex toys around the law by posting signs that say "sold only as novelties." Webb didn't do that and faces up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine if convicted.
Her attorney, BeAnn Sisemore, planned to file a motion Tuesday to dismiss the case on grounds the law violates someone's right to own a sexual device, which is not illegal.
Webb has taken a leave of absence from the chamber of commerce until the case is settled. She declined to say Monday if she plans to keep hosting parties.
"These devices that I sell are marital aids, and I want to help couples stay together," Webb said.
AI
