Woman Cleared In Porn Trial

The owner of a sexually-oriented business was found not guilty Monday of three counts of pandering obscenity. WLWT Eyewitness News 5 reports on the verdict in an obscenity case. Elyse Metcalf was charged with selling sexually explicit videos without a license. Metcalf has faced several raids of her Sycamore Street store, and more than one arrest. Last week, Metcalf took the witness stand and told the courtroom that she believes the videos in her store promote healing, and that she is not just selling them for money, WLWT Eyewitness News 5 reported. "This is something I believe in," Metcalf said. "This is why I do it." Jurors, who watched hours of the videos, could make a decision by the weekend as to whether or not Metcalf was in violation of city laws. A University of Cincinnati professor of English spoke about what he called the literary value of the three videos in question. A psychiatrist who treats people with sexual dysfunctions also testified that the three videos in question could be used therapeutically. Metcalf said that she never watched the videos in question before she was charged in this case, and that she relied on her distributor in Cleveland to decide what kind of videos were sold. Metcalf was a court reporter in Hamilton County for 16 years. Her lawyer said that Metcalf is selling a needed service. "I think the evidence will show she's not hiding anything because she's promoting erotic health," Lou Sirkin said. "People can make their own decisions and choices." WLWT Eyewitness News 5 and ChannelCincinnati.com will have more details on the verdict later Monday. Previous Stories:

• May 17, 2001: Store Owner Calls Sex Videos Therapeutic
• May 16, 2001: Accused Owner Of Adult Store To Testify
• May 15, 2001: Trial For Alleged 'Adult' Store Starts
• May 4, 2001: Adult Film Stars Converge On Cincinnati
• December 20, 2000: 2 More Stores In Trouble For Sex Items
• October 11, 2000: Controversial Store Opens For Business