The Kent Police Department released details on an investigation of a 22-year-old east Kent man, Quentin B. Jones, who is alleged to have been involved in juvenile prostitution.
Jones was arrested April 17 and the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed a charge for attempted promoting of commercial sex abuse of a minor, which is a class A felony
Jones pleaded not guilty to the charge Monday, according to Dan Donohoe, spokesman for the prosecutor’s office. Jones returns to court May 12 when a trial date could be set or attorneys from either side could ask for more time to prepare the case.
Jones is currently being held at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent on $500,000 bail.
In the prosecutor’s charging document it noted, “The defendant has been linked to the exploitation of underage females for some time. He was caught in this case after encouraging an undercover officer, who he believed was a 17-year-old female, to engage in prostitution and give him the money. The defendant’s own words, ‘You finally got me!’ not only make it clear he is guilty of this crime, but that he has been engaging in this activity for a prolonged period of time.”
Kent officers learned of the Jones’ activities in early April. Using an undercover officer to pose as a 17-year-old girl, investigators started communicating with the man using social networking sites including Myspace.
The case began in August 2010 when the undercover officer in the case interviewed a 17-year-old girl working as a prostitute on Pacific Highway South. During the interviews with the girl, Jones was discovered.
The girl described Jones as a “playin’ pimp” in the charging documents, which meant he was a “bad pimp” who “takes all his girls(‘) money and doesn’t take care of his girls like he is supposed to.” The girl said Jones gets “angry and beats his girls….”
Officers set up a fake Myspace account for a young female, and eventually made contact with Jones. A friend request was sent to Jones and he accepted. Jones sent his cell phone number, and the undercover officer posing as a 17-year-old girl and Jones began texting.
In the weeks that followed, communication between Jones and the officer continued through texting and phone calls. He groomed and recruited the undercover officer to work for him as a prostitute.
Believing he had ensnared a young teenage girl, Jones told her where to work, demanded $1,000 a day and made plans to take her to Las Vegas to work as his prostitute.
In a text-message exchange documented in the charging papers, the undercover officer tells Jones about her friend, who she stated was 16 and also wants to go to Las Vegas.
Jones: What u got going for today
UC (undercover officer): Gonna go hit it n a bit…. we goin 2 vegas 4real baby
Jones: Yeah when we get some money
UC (undercover officer): Aight i can do that….how much need
Jones: 5000
UC (undercover officer): Damn baby…wheres it good at
Jones: The northend or Bellevue post Tukwila too and if u want to walk casino road in Everett
UC (undercover officer): Ok bouts 2 get redy
UC (undercover officer): My girl want 2 go wit us
Jones: How old is she
UC (undercover officer): 16
Jones: And the same goes for her she need to make 5000 before we go I need to no your foreal abut the movement
UC (undercover officer): We down 4real baby
Jones: If u can’t get money here then u aint there and I’m not with wasting time(….) I get money here so if I got out there it as to be worth it(….) hopes and dreams don’t pay bills so if u can show your down by making it happen here I will take u where ever u want to go
The officer noted in the charging documents “the movement” is slang for prostitution. The line “hopes and dreams don’t pay bills” is described as a tactic by pimps to identify the needs and wants of vulnerable girls and making them believe they can provide for them.
On April 17, the undercover officer arranged to meet Jones using the lure of retrieving money he thought the girl had made for him through prostitution. Police officers surrounded a 7-Eleven on Pacific Highway South while the undercover officer met with Jones in the parking lot.
In the charging papers, the undercover officer described the scene. The undercover officer had $590 of “controlled buy money.” Jones was a passenger in a gold and silver Cadillac. The car was driven by a 25-year-old woman. In the charging documents it was noted Jones license was suspended and he usually did not drive.
“As the car was approaching me in the lot, I observed Jones make eye contact with me and nod his head at me in a greeting manner. I then walked to the passenger window to contact Jones. The window was rolled down approximately 3-5 inches and I could smell a strong odor of marijuana coming from within the vehicle.
“When I walked up to Jones’ window, Jones began telling me to get in the back while motioning toward the backseat with his head and his right hand. Jones was speaking soft voice and he did not roll down the window further when I approached….
“I told Jones my ‘trick’ was there and pointed to one or our UC (undercover vehicles). It should be noted, this was a planned tactic to avoid getting in the vehicle with Jones….
“I then moved closer to the vehicle and told Jones, ‘I got the money.’ Jones then rolled down the window further and I removed the money from my pocket….
Jones took the money from my hand. I then asked Jones if he was going to get me a room and he said ‘yeah.’ Jones told me to call him when I was done. I agreed and walked toward the UC vehicle while giving the predetermined takedown signal.”
The document stated officers moved in and arrested Jones, finding the $590, two sandwich bags of suspected marijuana and a digital scale.
During the police interview, Jones denied being a “pimp.” According to the charging document, “Jones stated women just give him money and if they are going to give it to him, then he’ll take it.”
When Jones was confronted by a sergeant with discrepancies in his story he said, “I’m cooked. You caught me red-handed.”
According to the document, Jones said he would plead guilty to “20 years right now.” He congratulated the sergeant for catching him and offered to buy the officer dinner when he got out of jail.
The Kent Police Department has partnered with the FBI’s Innocence Lost Task Force since 2009, recovering dozens of children victimized for profit.
Kent Police Sgt. Andy Grove said, “This case is significant because it really shows we can use creative strategies to infiltrate these groups with putting victims at risk. This is a big win for us.”
Grove said the department tries to “recover the victims (girls) and get them the help they need.”
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