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OGDEN — An Ogden couple is accused of running a commercial sex operation out of their residence and forcing drug-addicted women into prostitution by beating them or withholding their drugs, according to charging documents.
The Utah Attorney General's Office on Monday filed under seal charges against Lynnsie Reddish, 20, and Terrance Chavez Jones, 31. Both were charged in Ogden's 2nd District Court with aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony; engaging in a pattern of unlawful activity, a second-degree felony; four counts of human trafficking-forced sexual exploitation, a second-degree felony; four counts of aggravated exploitation of a prostitute, a second-degree felony; money laundering, a second-degree felony; and aggravated assault, a third-degree felony.
The charging documents were unsealed Friday. According to the charges, Reddish and Jones used "various forms of force, fraud and coercion" to keep at least four women working for them.
"Witnesses reported the defendants would use drug addictions as a means to control the women, by withholding heroin unless they performed commercial sex," according to documents.
Reddish and Jones also used a "pattern of threats" to "keep the women afraid of them," court records state.
One woman told investigators that the couple would continue feeding her heroin addiction as long as she worked as an escort and gave them the money she made, charging documents state. When Reddish and Jones thought the woman was going to leave their operation, they cut her hair with scissors, whipped her with a belt and punched her, the charges state. The woman had to get eight stitches in her head to close her wound, according to the charges.
Another woman told investigators that she made $200 per appointment but gave most of the money to Reddish and Jones, the charges state. She said she didn't leave because "she was scared of them and because they would beat her," the charges state. The woman also told investigators that Jones "would point guns at the girls if they were not cooperating," according to charging documents.
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Human trafficking, exploitation, pattern of unlawful activity charges filed in Ogden
Two people have been charged with a dozen felonies, including human trafficking, engaging in a pattern of unlawful activity, money laundering and exploiting a prostitute.A third woman told investigators that Jones was the main "pimp" and that Reddish had the girls do what Jones told her, the charges state. She said that ads were placed online to generate business. The ads offered "massages," but Jones and Reddish expected the women to do more, the charges state.
A fourth woman said she was afraid of being assaulted by either Jones and Reddish or by a client if she did not do what they wanted.
"Victim 4 felt she had to have sexual intercourse with the clients or 'something bad would happen' to her," according to court records.
The fourth woman said she witnessed the assault on the first woman, and "after witnessing the assault, she would do anything the defendants asked without question because she was so scared," the charges state.
The prostitution operation ran from as early as December 2015 until Jan. 18, when the first woman was able to escape, the charges state.
Prosecutors have asked that Jones and Reddish be denied bail.
