Stillwater neighbors alerted police to alleged 'sex dungeon'

Vigilant neighbors blew the whistle on an alleged "sex dungeon" operating in a Stillwater residential district next to the junior high school, police said Tuesday.

Investigators say the house featured in online advertisements posted by the "Taboo Goddess" is at 1111 Everett St. S., in a quiet neighborhood next to the school and two blocks south of Lakeview Hospital.

On her website, the Taboo Goddess extolled its virtues. "The Taboo Dungeon is an exquisitely furnished full-size home that many could only dream of visiting," she wrote.

Neighbors concerned about men coming and going at all hours began closely watching the house and contacted police in August, said Sgt. Jeff Stender.

Nobody answered the door Tuesday at the tan split-level house, where a red car was parked in the driveway.

But police say the self-described dominatrix shown on the website is Stillwater resident Kristal Ann Taylor, 41, also known as Kristal Zimmerman, who was arrested last week on suspicion of prostitution.

She has not been charged with a crime. Stender said he expected to meet with prosecutors Wednesday to discuss the case. Taylor's website said that "domination is not prostitution ... nor am I selling sex."

"We just always thought there was something weird about it but didn't know what it was," said another neighbor, Cathy Loehr.

Stender said police seized numerous bondage devices and sex toys from the house, including six pieces of "homemade bondage furniture" and paddles, whips, ropes and other paraphernalia. Loehr said her family watched as police spent two hours Thursday loading items onto a flatbed trailer. Some of the "contraptions" looked like gym equipment, she said.

"I have a wide array of toys to bring your fantasies come to life in a safe and clean environment," Taylor's online promotion promised. "My beautifully manicured size 7 feet are wonderful to worship, pamper, and kiss or maybe my exquisite stiletto high heels to trample you with.

"For those of you who have been extremely naughty, I have all the implements and equipment necessary to correct your behavior."

Taylor, who lives at a second Stillwater address, didn't answer the door there Tuesday to respond to the police allegations. However, a search warrant links her to the business, which Stender said clearly offered services that led to sexual gratification for men who contacted her through the website and through advertisements on www.backpage.com.

The Everett Street house is next to one owned by Stillwater's fire chief, Stu Glaser, who knew Taylor from when her daughter was struck by lightning and killed in 2009, according to court records. Taylor began renting the house, which neighbors said had been for sale, in April.

"She didn't try to hide she was operating in Stillwater or even who she was," Stender said.

Sex-oriented businesses are prohibited from operating in Stillwater neighborhoods, said Bill Turnblad, the city's community development director.

"Simply not allowed, absolutely not," Turnblad said. "She didn't have a license because it's an illegal activity and she didn't ask."

Only one portion of Stillwater, along Hwy. 36, is zoned for such businesses and the city doesn't have any there, Turnblad said. A sex-oriented business such as Taboo Goddess would have to apply for a conditional use permit from the city, he said.

"I'm just glad she's not going to be here anymore," said Loehr, mother of two young children.

"I just wonder what type of people she was bringing into the neighborhood."