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WEST VALLEY CITY — The owner of a West Valley massage parlor has been charged with operating a prostitution business.
Larry Echols, 60, of Murray, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with engaging in a pattern of unlawful activity, a second-degree felony; exploiting prostitution, a third-degree felony; and aiding prostitution, a class A misdemeanor.
West Valley police began investigating K.K. Spa, 3411 S. Redwood Road, in October after receiving "multiple complaints regarding a massage parlor that was propositioning customers for sex," according to charging documents.
Echols is the owner of the business. As detectives began their investigation, they learned from the Division of Professional Licensing that as of March 2023, "multiple girls employed by K.K. Spa were unlicensed to provide massages," the charges state.
In March of this year, multiple officers went to the business undercover and were each offered sex or sex acts in exchange for money, the charging documents allege.
Investigators also discovered that multiple women from the business were staying at a hotel next door. They executed multiple search warrants at the Extended Stay Hotel in May and reported seizing $21,073 from the Extended Stay hotel and $2,100 in cash from K.K. Spa.
During a search warrant at Echols' residence, "police recovered and seized $10,100 in U.S. currency from (his) bedroom. The total amount of U.S. currency seized from the three search warrants is $33,338.48," according to the charges.
