Proposed Howard County Bill aims to tackle sex trafficking by prohibiting hourly motel room rentals

Howard County Council members are working to tackle sex trafficking. A proposed bill, CB19-2025, would prohibit employees of lodging establishments from offering rooms on an hourly basis. The restriction would apply to any hotel, motel, or similar business with at least four rooms available

Introduced on Feb. 3, the bill is set to be heard on Monday.

The legislative proposal comes after a Baltimore man, Robert Bennett Jr.,was charged for allegedly conducting a sex trafficking operation at the Terrace Motel in Elkridge. 

Investigators allege Bennett arranged prostitution encounters for several adult women, assaulted them, and stole their money, sometimes at gunpoint. According to police, he controlled victims by providing drugs and making threats.

Bennett is charged with sex trafficking, prostitution, armed robbery, theft, and weapons violations. He remains held without bond at the Howard County Detention Center.
 
Bennett's arrest follows another recent Maryland sex trafficking case. On March 3, Kenika Leach, 33, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for trafficking women from Hagerstown to hotels in Baltimore and Anne Arundel County. Prosecutors said Leach exploited victims' drug addictions and used physical violence to maintain control.