| ZanyCash Larry |
07-21-2004 01:56 PM |
Don't Discrict Attorneys have better things to do?
There are worst crimes that the public?s resources should be used towards prosecuting than selling Sex Toys :321GFY
(Reuters) - A Texas woman charged with violating obscenity laws for selling a sexual toy and explaining to her customer how to use it has had the case against her dismissed, court officials said on Monday.
Joanne Webb, a mother of three and a former schoolteacher in the town of Burleson near Forth Worth, was facing up to a year in jail after she sold a vibrator at a private party to two undercover police officers posing as a married couple.
The case received national attention because it touched off a debate on whether a person should be jailed for selling vibrators to adults.
Texas law allows for the sale of sexual toys as long as they are billed as novelties. But when a person markets the items in a direct manner that shows how they are used in sex, it is considered criminal obscenity.
BeAnn Sisemore, the lawyer representing Webb in the case, said she has brought a federal suit against Texas officials seeking to overturn the obscenity law. She thinks the pending federal suit, along with public pressure, helped lead to the dismissal in the Webb case.
"Elected officials were hearing from the citizens that they did not want this, that this is wrong," Sisemore said.
Webb is a representative for Passion Parties, a California company marketing potions, lotions and sexual toys sold at gatherings that mimic Tupperware parties.
Women over 18 meet in a private home for what the company calls a "girl's night out of giggles and fun," during which products designed to enhance sex lives are sold.
The police officers in November posed as a couple trying to spice up their love life. After selling the vibrator, Webb instructed the woman on its use and explained how it could enhance lovemaking. She was then soon arrested on the obscenity charge.
Sisemore said she plans to speed up the process in the federal suit and expects hearings on the issue in the next 15 days to 25 days. She said Johnson County officials could still bring criminal charges against Webb again on the issue.
"This is far from over though. A woman's right to be educated on her sexuality should never be considered obscene," Webb said.
There are worst crimes that the public?s resources should be used towards prosecuting than selling Sex Toys :321GFY
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