Woman allegedly forced into prostitution in Lima avoids prison
May 11—LIMA — A Lima woman allegedly forced into prostitution by her then-boyfriend was sentenced Tuesday to two years on probation as part of a favorable deal from prosecutors.
Rachel Hooker, 20, was indicted by a grand jury in May 2020 on charges of aggravated robbery and felonious assault, felonies of the first and second degrees, respectively. The charges stemmed from an incident that took place when a sex-for-hire transaction turned violent.
On Tuesday, Hooker pleaded guilty to an amended charge of falsification in a theft offense, a fifth-degree felony.
According to Defense Attorney Kenneth Rexford, his client "met a boy, one with arrest warrants in various states, who made her advertise on the internet offering sexual services to men, which she did approximately six times."
During the incident in question, which took place on March 15, 2020, at a residence in the 400 block of Haller Street in Lima, a potential customer argued with Hooker over the price of her services.
"He asked her to get naked, she did, but he said he wanted his money back," Rexford explained.
A verbal altercation ensued, and that argument turned physical when Hooker's boyfriend — Keyown Pryor — and another male came down the stairs in the home, the attorney said.
According to police reports, the men attacked the man who was arguing with Hooker. One of the men reportedly wielded a knife. They took $160 from the victim, who also dropped his cell phone inside the house before fleeing.
Hooker initially told police she had been sexually assaulted, but that story proved to be untrue.
The victim told investigators he had answered an advertisement for sex for hire on the "skipthegames.com" internet site and was directed to the Haller Street residence.
Once inside, he and Hooker argued over the price of the transaction and struggled over the money, the man told police, before two attackers came down stairs and engaged him in a physical altercation. During the fight, the victim dropped his cell phone and was unable to retrieve it.
During a police photo lineup, he identified Keyown Pryor as the individual who attacked him with a knife and helped steal his money, according to court documents.
Police then interviewed Hooker a second time, and the Lima woman admitted that she advertised for sex and was not assaulted.
Pryor was arrested a few days after the incident in Tennessee, where he had fled after cutting off his ankle bracelet monitor.
Rexford called his client an "incredibly sweet, nice, pretty girl" who got involved with the wrong crowd. Judge Terri Kohlrieser told Hooker to get her life together.
"What in the world were you thinking?" the judge said. "Anyone who loves you would never ask you to engage in this type of behavior. Don't ever let someone use you like that; you are worth more than that."
Hooker answered softly, "I realize that now."
