A Little Rock woman facing charges of kidnapping, sex trafficking, extortion and transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity was denied bail Tuesday by a federal magistrate judge.
Alexus Harris, 21, was charged after a Pope County teen told authorities that she was taken to Memphis on Sept. 2 on what she thought was a girls' trip with Harris and two other women, but instead she was beaten and pushed to engage in prostitution, according to reports.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Joe Volpe denied the motion to release Harris from custody "based upon the nature and circumstances of the offenses charged, defendant's substantial criminal history, and the unsuitability of the proposed release plan," according to the order of detention.
Harris could face up to life in prison if found guilty.
The teenager told police that when they arrived in Memphis, Harris told her and the two women that they were there to prostitute for her, and she forced them to walk the streets for two consecutive days, according to a 35-page criminal complaint filed in federal court by the FBI in which the teenage victim is referred to as "MV1."
After the teen refused to prostitute herself, the complaint said, Harris and the others attempted to extort money from her family and friends, sending phone calls and video calls with demands while also smothering the girl with pillows, pistol-whipping her or pointing guns at her head. This prompted a family member to call police.
The complainant said she was left alone long enough to make it to the hotel parking lot where she asked a man to take her to a hotel in West Memphis where police were called. She was taken to a Memphis hospital where family members picked her up Sept. 4.
Harris was being held at the West Tennessee Detention Facility in Mason, Tenn.