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http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/local/7270210.htmWoman defends sex-toys sale
By Ben Tinsley
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
A Burleson woman arrested after selling two sex toys to undercover police officers is preparing to challenge what she characterizes as a narrow and unfair application of a state obscenity law.
"I have not sold an obscene device; this is a device used to enhance a couple's relationship," said Joanne Webb, 42. Webb, a former fifth-grade teacher, is an executive board member for the Burleson Chamber of Commerce. "We are trying to bring romance back into the relationship."
Webb, who had never been arrested before, distributes Passion Parties products. They are sold to women in gatherings similar to Tupperware parties. The parties are for women only, and no one younger than 18 is allowed, Webb said.
On Thursday, the mother of three surrendered to authorities at the Cleburne Jail, posted $1,500 bail and was released.
Burleson police Capt. Doug Sandifer said his department dispatched undercover officers to buy the sex toys after receiving a tip about sales of illegal sexual devices. He said his department sent two undercover officers last month to Webb's husband's office, which has a Passion Parties logo on the window.
The officers, a man and a woman, purchased two sex toys for $63.11, Sandifer said. The toys are considered obscene under Penal Code Section 43:23, he said. Their sale is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine, he said.
"They walked in and engaged her in conversation and told her what they wanted, and she sold it to them," he said.
Johnson County Attorney Bill Moore, who authorized prosecuting Webb, could not be reached to comment Friday evening.
Webb said she had never before sold the toys from her husband's office.
"I don't keep any products at the office, and that's what I told this couple when they came in," she said. "I told them we could have a party, but she wanted to buy them then and there."
Webb said that she knew Burleson had ordinances prohibiting sexually oriented businesses but that the law she is accused of violating is the state penal code.
Webb's attorney, BeAnn Sisemore of Fort Worth, said she intends to challenge the law, which she called unconstitutional. The statute quoted by authorities addresses wholesale rather than retail sales of such products, she said. Furthermore, neither she nor her client considers the toys obscene, she said.
"Is it obscene to educate women how to communicate with men in their relationships?" Sisemore asked.
