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PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Police officers freed a 15-year-old girl held in a North Portland motel room and forced into prostitution, but the man they said was her pimp isn’t facing criminal charges.
Officers raided a room at The Palms Motel on North Interstate Avenue on Wednesday and found the girl. They also arrested a man they said held her against her will.
Samantha Amick watched from the parking lot as officers searched his car.
“I’m like ‘wow, what a nice car for a motel,’” she said.
But now that man won’t face charges because the girl refuses to press charges against her captor.
“She was petrified that she could end up being killed by the guy or connections of this guy,” said Officer Mike Stradley with the Portland Police Bureau.
Police were tipped off when a motel clerk confronted the man for having too many people in the room and not paying enough.
They said the girl had been held captive and given drugs for the past year. She had originally run away from home.
“She wasn’t allowed to take a shower unless she asked,” Stradley said. “She didn’t really know where the place was she was staying. And she was being forced to have sex with whoever her pimp lined up through the internet to have sex with her.”
KATU isn’t identifying the man because he is not facing any formal criminal charges. There are no plans to take the case to a grand jury.
However, the man does have a long criminal record going back to 2003. It includes promoting prostitution, drug charges, gambling, assault and burglary.
“This is a 15-year-old child who is subjected to treatment that, you know, no one deserves to be treated this way,” said Portland Police Lt. Robert King.
Police said the child sex trade in Portland has gone underground in the past year since Portland came under scrutiny and earned the “Pornland” moniker.
Often times prostitution deals are made online and are heavily screened to avoid police investigations.
Related stories:
PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Police officers freed a 15-year-old girl held in a North Portland motel room and forced into prostitution, but the man they said was her pimp isn’t facing criminal charges.
Officers raided a room at The Palms Motel on North Interstate Avenue on Wednesday and found the girl. They also arrested a man they said held her against her will.
Samantha Amick watched from the parking lot as officers searched his car.
“I’m like ‘wow, what a nice car for a motel,’” she said.
But now that man won’t face charges because the girl refuses to press charges against her captor.
“She was petrified that she could end up being killed by the guy or connections of this guy,” said Officer Mike Stradley with the Portland Police Bureau.
Police were tipped off when a motel clerk confronted the man for having too many people in the room and not paying enough.
They said the girl had been held captive and given drugs for the past year. She had originally run away from home.
“She wasn’t allowed to take a shower unless she asked,” Stradley said. “She didn’t really know where the place was she was staying. And she was being forced to have sex with whoever her pimp lined up through the internet to have sex with her.”
KATU isn’t identifying the man because he is not facing any formal criminal charges. There are no plans to take the case to a grand jury.
However, the man does have a long criminal record going back to 2003. It includes promoting prostitution, drug charges, gambling, assault and burglary.
“This is a 15-year-old child who is subjected to treatment that, you know, no one deserves to be treated this way,” said Portland Police Lt. Robert King.
Police said the child sex trade in Portland has gone underground in the past year since Portland came under scrutiny and earned the “Pornland” moniker.
Often times prostitution deals are made online and are heavily screened to avoid police investigations.
Related stories:
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