Zumba Prostitution Scandal: Maine town reacts after suspected client list released
(CBS/AP) KENNEBUNK, Maine - The small seaside community of Kennebunk is abuzz after police released 21 names out of more than 100 men accused of engaging in prostitution with 29-year-old Zumba instructor Alexis Wright, on Monday.
PICTURES: Zumba instructor accused of prostitution
The chatter is likely to continue in the weeks ahead as the names of other accused johns are released in police activity reports. The activity reports are issued every other week and list people charged with offenses ranging from allowing dogs to run at large and marijuana possession to driving under the influence.
Residents had been anxiously awaiting the release of names since Wright was charged earlier this month with engaging in prostitution in her dance studio and in an office she rented across the street. Police said she kept meticulous records suggesting the sex acts generated $150,000 over 18 months.
A judge ordered the release of names without ages or addresses, so that their occupations or roles in the community were not immediately clear.
Kim Ackley, a local real estate agent, said that disclosure of the names will cause temporary pain for families but it's only fair because others who are charged with embarrassing crimes don't get breaks.
"What's fair for one has to be fair for the other," said Ackley, who believes she knows several people on the list. "The door can't swing just one way."
Andrew Stanley, of Kennebunk, said the names should've been released sooner, but resident Leonid Temkin had mixed feelings about publicizing the names because it could cause marriages to dissolve and men to lose their jobs.
"I think it'll cause a lot of hardship," he said.
Ackley said she believes the interest will die down once all the names become public in the coming weeks.
"A year from now it won't even be talked about, once it goes through the courts," she said. "You've got to move on and go on with your lives."
Complete coverage of Zumba Prostitution Scandal on Crimesider
