Results by Google
Home News 

Story

Verdict Reached In Trial Of Clerk Charged With Selling Sex Toys

Updated: 10:51 am EDT October 13, 2005

A store clerk accused of illegally selling adult toys was found not guilty Wednesday.

Jose Escalante was arrested during a raid at the Adult Video Megaplex Houston on June 9. Houston police charged him with obscenity, alleging he was in possession of adult toys with the intent to promote and sell them. Prosecutors argued that it is illegal to sell an item designed to be used for a sexual act.

But, Escalante's attorney, Richard Kuniansky, said that he believes his client was unfairly singled out, considering hundreds of stores across the Houston area sell similar products.

However, prosecutors said the law is the law, and that anyone caught in possession of six or more adult toys deemed obscene by the law is presumed to be promoting them and could be arrested.

An officer who testified in the trial said an adult toy is obscene if it is contained in a package with a label that indicates the toy is designed to be used in a sexual act.

Although Escalante has said he was only a store clerk, prosecutors said he was a store manager, meaning he was in possession of all of the products being sold in the store. Many of the adult toys not confiscated from the store during the raid are advertised as massagers.

If Escalante had been convicted, he could have been sentenced to spend up to a year in prison and pay a $4,000 fine.

More Headlines

2 Investigates

A startling new report suggests that many weather observation stations in the U.S. and Georgia are gathering inaccurate data. Tom Regan reports. Full Story ››
WEB EXTRA: Temperature Recording Stations

A Whistleblower 2 Investigation has found that scores -- probably hundreds of people -- charged with violent felonies are released from the Fulton County Jail without having to post bail. The county's chief superior court judge says the program is a huge success -- but even she acknowledges it was never intended for defendants charged with violent crimes. Channel 2's Richard Belcher has the story. Full Story ››
WEB EXTRA: Pretrial Release Program Documents


Every week, the roads of metro Atlanta are the scene of major tractor-trailer wrecks. Now, the parents of a college student killed by a speeding truck have launched a campaign to mandate speed limiting equipment on heavy trucks. Channel 2's Tom Regan recently talked with the family. Full Story ››
WEB EXTRA: RAW VIDEO: Truck Crashes Caught On Tape


In record numbers, foreign students flock to the U.S. in search of a great education. But Channel 2 has learned that more than 170,000 have broken the rules while here. That has led to dozens of arrests in Georgia alone and critics wonder if the government's tracking system is in trouble. Channel 2's Jodie Fleischer investigates. Full Story ››
Fake School Slipped Through Cracks For Years
WEB EXTRA: Student Visa Violators By School


If you're hurt in a collision with a MARTA bus -- be warned. Three quarters of the time, MARTA will fight before it pays. Getting MARTA to fix your car can also be a challenge. Channel 2's consumer investigator Jim Strickland found the evidence in MARTA's own files -- looking at more than 1,200 accidents over the last two years. Full Story ››
WEB EXTRA: MARTA Spreadsheet Detailing MVA Claims
WEB EXTRA RAW VIDEOS: Interview With MARTA CEO Dr. Beverly Scott | Interview With Attorney Who Represents Victim Of MARTA Collision