A 14-year-old Bloomington girl was charged with prostitution Tuesday morning after police discovered she had been offering to perform sex acts with several individuals in return for money.
The girl faces a misdemeanor charge and has been referred to juvenile probation, said Bloomington Police Department Capt. Steve Kellams. Police arrested the girl at about 9:20 a.m. on West Gourley Pike.
Detectives have been investigating the case since the end of January, Kellams said. They began looking into the case after a woman reported she had seen text messages on her husband’s phone that were “sexual in nature” from the girl.
Authorities interviewed both parties and read through the girl’s text messages and Facebook account through a series of search warrants.
It became clear through the investigation the girl had been knowingly offering to have sexual intercourse with several individuals for money this year, Kellams said.
The girl had represented herself as a 17 year old on at least one occasion, Kellams said. She had a long history of family problems, and her female guardian told police she had been having a difficult time controlling her.
Kellams could not discuss possible incentives or motives for the girl to offer to have sex for money. He said it was still possible authorities might be looking into additional aspects of and individuals involved in the girl’s case.
"This is a very troubling case," Kellams said, stating he doesn't recall any other recent cases such as this one.
"Our goal is to ensure that this teen gets all of the help available, and by putting them in the system we can ensure that happens."
Samantha Schmidt
