Women Charged With Trafficking Teen Girl Online
(STMW) -- Two Wisconsin women who used a website to promote an "escort" service that was actually a front to prostitute a juvenile girl have been charged with human trafficking, according to police.
Elizabeth A. Roeder, 33, of Milwaukee, Wis., and Shannon L. Hathaway, 41, of Stoughton, Wis., have each been charged with involuntary servitude of a minor and trafficking for labor and benefits, according to the Cook County Sheriff's office.
On April 10, sheriff's Vice Unit officers responded to the ad under "Escorts" in the Adult section of Backpage.com, which showed a photo of the girl, a statement from the sheriff's office said.
The undercover officer was told to go to a Super 8 Motel in northwest suburban River Grove, where the officer was offered sex for money. Both women and the juvenile were taken into custody, according to police.
Police learned that Roeder and Hathaway had been promoting prostitution by using the ad to attract customers, who would call and have a "date" arranged where sex acts were to be performed, police said.
The women are scheduled to appear in bond court on Saturday. The girl, who was over 16, was placed with the Sheriff's Women's Justice Program, which helped reunite her with her family on Friday.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
