SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — Sioux Falls Police arrest a man who they believe was running a massage parlor business as a front for prostitution.
Willie Charles Whitman, 47, from Sioux Falls, is charged with soliciting prostitution and related charges. He is being held on $50,000 cash bond. Whitman has a court appearance today.
Police say he ran a prostitution racket out of a suite at 900 South Marion Road. The women who worked there say Whitman took all the proceeds of their activities.
The women involved in the parlor lived at a motel in northwest Sioux Falls, according to Officer Sam Clemens. He says he doesn’t think the motel had any idea that something illegal may have been going on.
Clemens says authorities are concerned that the women may be victims of human trafficking. He says it is not unusual for it to be associated with prostitution.
Clemens also said several citizens reported that something didn’t seem right about the business and reported it to the police.
