This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
An 18-year-old Layton man was in Davis County Jail Tuesday, accused of forcing a 16-year-old runaway girl into prostitution.
Layton police Lt. Shawn Horton said the suspect, who was being held in lieu of $10,000 bail, was booked on suspicion of second-degree felony counts of aggravated exploitation of prostitution, sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of a distribution amount of marijuana; third-degree counts of possession of a firearm by a restricted person and unlawful possession of another's identification documents; and a class A misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
The suspect was arrested on Friday following a five-month investigation.
"The victim told detectives she had run away from home and . . . stayed with [the suspect] at an apartment in Layton from about January 2013 to March 2013. At some point during this time, the victim said [he] forced her into being an 'escort' for him to make money," Horton said.
Layton detectives discovered that several Internet escort ads "had been posted consistent with information received from the victim," who also alleged the suspect had taken several nude photos of her with his cellphone.
Armed with a search warrant, police arrested the man and confiscated evidence linking the photos to the apartment; along with identity documents for several people otherwise unconnected to the case; the firearm and the marijuana.
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