Strutt Hotel guests allegedly kidnapped and trafficked teenage girl
A man and woman who stayed at the Strutt Hotel this month are scheduled to appear in a Las Vegas court Wednesday on sex trafficking charges. They allegedly kidnapped and trafficked a young girl for four days.
Authorities say defendants Mark Johnson, 23, and Donnesha Ellis, 21, held the unnamed teen against her will while she was working for Johnson on the street to make money. She was held in her hotel room.
Last Wednesday, the couple was charged with two counts of sex trafficking of a minor under 18, first-degree kidnapping of a minor, child abuse or neglect and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) officers interviewed the teenage victim and obtained her cell phone.
The evidence led to the arrests of Johnson, Ellis and another woman, 19-year-old Alissa Isles, who was identified as Johnson's girlfriend.
Conviction text
Police found incriminating text messages on the victim's phone.
Johnson once texted the victim: "Why didn't you get anything today?" - referring to her not being able to perform magic tricks on the street.
Additionally, Ayers texted the victim suggesting that the victim and another girl seek tips on a "Trop." This is a section of West Tropical Boulevard in Las Vegas known for prostitution.
Ayers also advised her not to work in the same area as the victim so as not to arouse the suspicion of local police officers who regularly patrol Citropicana Boulevard.
The Islands also warned victims to "beware of plainclothes police officers in the area."
At another point, Ellis allegedly texted the victim, "You have to bring something back or you're not coming back," which seemed to indicate she was tricking Johnson into bringing money or not returning to the hotel room.
Income exceeds 1.2K
The victims made a total of $1,270 over several days through sex trafficking. The teen gave Johnson about half of the money and apparently kept half for himself.
The victim participated in the sex trade for several days at the direction of Johnson and Ayers.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal , they first met through a mutual friend.
A third suspect, Ayers, was arrested by police this week. However, as of Tuesday, no charges had been filed against them.
The victim does not appear to have been charged with any crime. Police did not provide information about Johnson and Ellis' ages or where they lived before meeting with them.
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Source: www.casino.org
