Spa Owner Charged With Prostitution
SOUTH ELGIN, IL (STMW) -- Bail was set at $20,000 Wednesday for a woman accused of running prostitution from her northwest suburban South Elgin spa.
Naomi R. Sul, 44, of Bolingbrook, was given a March 17 court date on charges of prostitution, keeping a place of prostitution, soliciting for a prostitute, battery and a felony count of unlawful restraint, all stemming from her arrest Tuesday in South Elgin.
According to South Elgin police Detective Brian Polkinghorn, police were alerted to suspicious activity at Heaven Spa, 1314 W. Spring St., by nearby residents who noticed a solely male customer base.
"We followed that up with some Internet investigation and surveillance on the business," Polkinghorn said.
The business is listed on some Internet sites as offering "erotic services," he said.
On Tuesday, an undercover officer from another town was sent into the spa and was offered a sexual act in exchange for $30, according to court documents.
The unlawful restraint charge came when Sul attempted to prevent the officer from calling in other officers to execute a search warrant, Polkinghorn said.
"The defendant threw the officer against the wall and pleaded with the officer not to alert others of what had just occurred. He was able after a brief struggle to alert others, and a search warrant was executed," Polkinghorn said.
Two other women inside the business when the search warrant was executed were not charged, he added.
According to Steve Super, director of community development, the village is looking into the zoning for the business. "We will pursue our angle," Super said.
Similar incidents have been reported in the area recently, including at a spa in Hampshire and Algonquin. This is the first time South Elgin has had an arrest of this nature, Polkinghorn said.
"We were surprised to find that this business was located in South Elgin," he said. "South Elgin is still a great family community, and we as a police department will make every effort we can to keep it that way."
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