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.


 

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