S & M fan may sue Attleboro

by Dave Wedge
Sunday, July 1, 2001

A New York city businesswoman whose S & M fetish became public fodder when Attleboro police busted a clandestine bondage bash last year says she's considering suing the city now that charges against her have been dropped.

"Because of their actions, I have this incident hanging over my head for the rest of my life," Stefany Reed said.

The so-called "Paddleboro" case made national news last year when police entered a secret sex soiree in a downtown warehouse and arrested Reed and the party host, Benjamin Davis. Reed, a 39-year-old beauty consultant, was charged with assault and battery for allegedly spanking a woman's bare bottom.

Davis, of Hudson, N.H., was slapped with 13 charges, including running a house of prostitution and possession of sex toys banned under a rarely used state law.

Attleboro District Court Judge Francis T. Crimmins ruled that police illegally entered the private party, prompting prosecutors to drop the charges against Reed this week. All but two charges against Davis also were dropped.

"I'm very pleased," Davis said yesterday, vowing to fight the remaining charges. "I'm fully innocent. I didn't do anything wrong."

Yesterday, Davis and others in the BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadomasochism) community congregated at the annual Fetish Fair Fleamarket at the Boston Center for the Arts in the South End. Leather-and-lace clad attendees lauded Crimmins' ruling and prosecutors' decision to toss out the bulk of the case.

"It's a small victory, but it's only one small step," said event organizer Cecilia Tan. "The next step is getting these archaic sex laws off the books."