http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=125555
Woman, 27, charged in forced prostitution of half-sister
Alleged victim is developmentally disabled
BY MARA H. GOTTFRIED Pioneer Press A St. Paul woman forced her
developmentally disabled half-sister into prostitution by telling her she would be sent
back to a group home if she didn't give men what they wanted, according to
charges filed Wednesday.
The Ramsey County attorney's office charged Bethann Hilston with promotion
of prostitution. Hilston is her sister's caretaker and receives her Social
Security checks.
Hilston, 27, is accused of setting up "dates" for her 30-year-old sister,
during which the woman had sex with men for money and then handed the proceeds
over to Hilston, the complaint said.
The case came to authorities' attention when Hilston called police Monday to
complain that a woman in her apartment building in the 900 block of North
Grotto Street was making harassing phone calls to her, said officer Pete Crum, a
St. Paul police spokesman.
Officer Steven Petron went to investigate. As he interviewed people in the
building and waded through information, Petron began to hear allegations about
Hilston, Crum said.
The woman Hilston accused of making the phone calls told Petron that Hilston
had put nude photographs of her sister on a Web site and was using the
Internet to solicit patrons for prostitution, the complaint said.
The victim told that woman and Petron that Hilston made her pose for the
nude photos about a year ago and told her she'd be sent back to the group home if
she didn't comply, the complaint said. The victim said she was afraid to go
back to the group home.
Another resident at the apartment told Petron that Hilston had asked her to
answer Internet instant messages for her and send back prices for oral sex and
"sex that included everything" when men inquired, the complaint said. The
woman said she refused when she found out sex was involved.
A man who lived in the building recalled that Hilston woke up her sister one
day in April and had her go out to a red car where a man was waiting. When
the victim came back with $30 for Hilston, she said it was from performing oral
sex on the man in the car, the complaint said. The man said he noticed
different men calling the house 10 to 20 times a day, asking for the victim.
After Petron's investigation, the case was forwarded to a newly created
human trafficking task force the St. Paul police department is coordinating, Crum
said.
Hilston is being held in the Ramsey County jail.
Mara H. Gottfried can be reached at mgottfried@pioneer press.com or
651-228-5262.
-----------------------
To change your mail settings or leave the C-PALSY list, go here:
http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?SUBED1=c-palsy
|