Man, 2 women face charges in S.L. prostitution case

A man and two women are in jail and face felony charges for allegedly forcing a California woman to work as a prostitute.

After learning that a group of prostitutes had arrived from California, the Salt Lake Vice Squad conducted an undercover operation Oct. 17 and arrested three women acting as prostitutes near 1300 South and State Street, said Sgt. Ken Hansen.During the investigation that followed, officers learned the women, ages 18, 19 and 21, had arrived the day before and were staying with a man at the Hampton Inn in Sandy. The man had driven the women to Reno and then to Utah from the Oakland, Calif., area.

The 18-year-old woman told police the man had forced her to be a prostitute, Hansen said.

"He beat her up and indicated she was going to Salt Lake whether she liked it or not," Hansen said.