SPRINGDALE -- Police arrested a man and a woman last weekend in connection with a sex trafficking operation.
Myron McKinney, 41, of 1308 N. Eighth St. in Fort Smith, was arrested Saturday in connection with human trafficking/commercial sex acts. McKinney was being held Monday in the Washington County Detention Center on $25,000 bond.
Shannon Richey, 38, of 46211 Jackson St. in Indio, Calif., was arrested Friday in connection with human trafficking/commercial sex acts. Richey was being held Monday in the Washington County Detention Center on $25,000 bond.
According to preliminary reports from the Springdale Police Department, Richey was arrested at 11:59 p.m. Friday after an officer saw her leaving the Sleep Inn and Suites at 1056 Rieff St. An officer checked the license plate and was told the registration was expired and the vehicle was tied to a sex offense case. The officer found marijuana residue in the vehicle and arrested Richey after stopping the car, according to the reports.
Police said in the reports detectives were contacted about a woman who was at the Northwest Arkansas Center for Sexual Assaults and said she was a victim of sex trafficking. The woman told interviewers she had been forced to engage in sex against her will and she was prevented from leaving by the use of force and the threat of additional physical force.
In the preliminary report, police said Richey said she recruited the woman and helped McKinney control her. The woman told interviewers the three people involved traveled to several cities and states with the women engaging in commercial sex at McKinney's direction.
Shannon Richey