EVERETT — For the second time in a month Snohomish County prosecutors have filed charges against someone accused of selling underage girls for sex.
The cases share numerous similarities: The girls were advertised on Backpage.com, met customers in local motel rooms and were forced to turn over their money to older men.
In the most recent case, a Snohomish County sheriff’s detective found the girls after reviewing a runaway report for a 15-year-old. He learned that she and another girl, also 15, met a man who took pictures of them and posted ads on Backpage. He would take calls from the men who answered the ads and give them the address and room number at the motel, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Matt Baldock wrote in court papers.
He allegedly waited in his car outside the motel while the girls sold themselves to men. He kept part of the money.
Baldock recently charged the man, Jerry Mitchell, 37, with two counts of promoting commercial sexual abuse of a minor, a felony. Mitchell, a convicted felon, is expected to answer to the charges next week. Prosecutors are expected to ask for $250,000 bail and a court order to keep Mitchell away from the girls.
The girls had not reported the incidents to police, which is common in these types of crimes, Baldock said.
Sex trafficking cases frequently come to the attention of police when they’re investigating other crimes, such as a disturbance at a hotel or a robbery of a customer. Sheriff’s detectives also try to be proactive, looking for young people who might be vulnerable to sex traffickers. In this case, the sheriff’s deputy monitored the list of reported runaways in Snohomish County.
Police also might get referrals from victim advocates who work at Denney Juvenile Justice Center. Sometimes youth disclose the abuse and agree to cooperate with law enforcement.
The sheriff’s detective found the escort ads on Backpage, and discovered they were posted four different times between December 2012 and March 2013. The customer records from Backpage showed that the ads were written by Mitchell, Baldock wrote.
The detective requested additional information from Backpage, including how Mitchell paid for the ads. The records showed that a prepaid Visa card was used.
The deputy prosecutor last month charged four people in connection with a separate sex trafficking case out of Everett. Three girls, ages 17, 16 and 15, also had been advertised on Backpage.
Law enforcement and victim advocates over the years have called on the online advertising site to remove escort ads and help crack down on sex trafficking.
Earlier this month Visa and MasterCard announced that they would no longer process payments to Backpage.
The website in response filed a lawsuit Tuesday against an Illinois sheriff who urged the credit card companies to change their policies, according to a story by the Wall Street Journal.
Lawmakers here in 2012 passed a bill aimed at websites that advertised commercial sex. The law called for a $10,000 fine and prison time if the site failed to make reasonable attempts to learn the age of someone placing the ad. Backpage fought back and the law was struck down that same year.
In Snohomish County plans are under way to open Peoria Home, a place where former sex workers can stay and rebuild their lives.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dianahefley.
Report trafficking
To report human trafficking, call the county’s 24-hour hotline at 425-258-9037. To request more information about trafficking or to set up an educational presentation send an email to humantrafficking@providence.org.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
