ST. GEORGE — Two women are facing prostitution-related charges after being busted by an undercover police officer.
Courtney Carol Moon, 20, and Sisiline Athena Richards, 24, both of St. George, were arrested Tuesday as the result of a St. George Police officer posing as someone willing to pay money for sex, according to court documents.
Prior to the arrests, the officer had come across an ad on a website known to be used for prostitution purposes. The ad had been posted by a woman in the St. George area who listed a 435 area code.
“Phone contact was made with the female, during which she agreed to perform a specific sexual act in exchange for money which amount she specified,” the officer wrote in a probable cause statement.
Moon was the woman the officer had contacted, according to court documents.
The two arranged to meet as at a parking lot in St. George. While waiting there, the officer saw a passenger car with two women inside pull up next to his car. Moon got out of the car and joined the undercover officer.
As the officer drove Moon to a predetermined location for the arrest, he noticed the passenger car was following them.
“Courtney made mention that the female following us was her friend just making sure she was ok,” the officer wrote. “I pulled into a parking lot and the white car pulled in behind me.”
Richards, who was driving the white car, was eventually contacted by another police officer and taken into custody.
Moon was taken into custody following the undercover officer once more confirming she was willing to perform a particular sexual act for a set amount of money, according to court documents.
Both women were taken to the Police Department and interviewed. During her interview, Moon “admitted she had (posted) the ad online and made the arrangements with me,” the officer wrote.
Moon also said Richards had helped show her how to post the prostitution ads online and had been engaging in prostitution over the previous week. In each case, Moon said Richards drove her to the arranged meet-up points and followed along to provide protection. While doing so, she received half of the money Moon received from the encounters.
According to court documents, Richards admitted to helping Moon set up the ads and driving her to at least four meet-ups. She also said she was aware Moon was engaging in prostitution and was providing her a measure of protection along the way and getting money for it.
Both women were booked into the Purgatory Correctional Facility. Moon has been charged with a class B misdemeanor for prostitution while Richards faces a third-degree felony for exploiting a prostitute.
Moon has since pleaded not guilty to the charge in Washington County Justice Court while Richards has an appearance in 5th District Court set for Monday.
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Twitter: @MoriKessler
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Hope they don’t charge by the pound, that would be price gouging.
thank goodness these victimless criminals are off the streets before they ensnared some local bishops.
The biggest problem with prostitution is that it always seems to be surrounded by other types of criminality–hard drugs, property crimes, fraud, etc, etc. And what percentage of prostitutes are hard drug users I wonder? I know it’s extremely high. Yeah, it can be victimless, but like I said, it’s just a magnet for other types of crime and criminals.
No, the problem with prostitution is that it is criminalized. Crime breeds other crime. Big surprise. If it were legal and regulated (like in Nevada), this problem largely disappears. The prohibition of vice never works, so the best strategy for society is to let it happen and to try to mitigate the negative impacts. Moreover, once it’s brought out into the light, we can tax it and get some financial benefit to help with the mitigation. The same goes for illegal drugs and gambling.
Why do prostitutes always seem to be such dysfunctional people? Why are they almost always addicted to drugs and/or alcoholics? Why do they tend to associate with other assorted criminals and addicts? Will legalizing and regulating it solve that?
Wow, you’d have to be VERY desperate to hook up with such nastiness! Eww!
Not to judge, but it “Looks” like they may have been the poorest unemployed prostitutes in these here parts.