HOUSTON – Houston police and state troopers were busy over the weekend cracking down on prostitution and human trafficking. Several people were arrested in unrelated stings and during what police called a rescue.
Officers were called to the Baron Inn off West 34th early Saturday after getting a tip from the National Human Trafficking hotline. Officers said they found a 39-year-old woman from Phoenix being held hostage and forced to prostitute.
Police said Delanny Malveaux, 42, and Dorran Gillespie, 41, were charged with trafficking persons, compelling prostitution and drug possession.
Police said the pair befriended the woman in mid-December while she was working at a carnival concession stand in Phoenix. In January, police said the pair invited the woman to Houston to work carnival concession stands here.
Police said on the way to Houston the woman was verbally and physically assaulted and told she would have to work as a prostitute. Police said the men then booked a room at the motel, along with another woman.
“The defendant would make her and the other female undress and they would have the other female assault the complainant with closed fists. They compelled her to ingest narcotics, cocaine and methamphetamine,” a prosecutor said during a probable cause hearing.
Police said when the woman didn’t entice anyone to have sex with her, they forced her to sleep on the floor and told her she would have to try again until she made enough money to pay for the motel room. Police said the woman was able to secretly text her ex-husband the location of the motel. Police said he then called the Human Trafficking hotline, which called HPD. Officers immediately went to the motel.
“Before they could even knock on the door they were coming out, so the door was open and they were able to see what was going on,” said prosecutor Joanne Musick.
A judge ordered Gillespie held on a $110,000 bond and Malveaux held on a $50,000 bond.
The judge stated if the men are able to post bond, then they must wear GPS tracking ankle bracelets until their trial.
Police also arrested Elizabeth Dees and Isaura Ortega during an unrelated sting over the weekend. Police said Dees was advertising herself on the internet and Ortega was there to collect whatever money she made.
“Ortega is somebody that would accompany her and she was to give the money to Ortega,” a prosecutor told a judge.
Police said the pair was arrested when Dees charged an undercover officer $300 for sex. Police said the women’s pimp showed up a short time later and was also arrested.
Harris County criminal court records show several other people have been arrested over the last week for prostitution, trafficking and compelling prostitution.