Dec
15
SANTA BARBARA, CA - 12/13/2006 - 12/13/06. Yesterday at 3:30 p.m., an officer responded to the Quality Inn at 3055 State Street on a call of a disturbance. Officers contacted a 15-year-old girl who said the woman she had argued with had already left. The girl gave a false name, false age, and a false reason for being in Santa Barbara. The officer sensed there was more to the story and persisted with questioning. In time, the girl explained that she was working as a prostitute under the direct control of two pimps: a man and a woman. The girl had been a runaway from her home in Orange County for one month. While living on the streets, she was approached by a pimp, who promised her money, nice clothing, and the necessities of life in exchange for working for him and his female ‘business manager.’ Out of desperation, the girl agreed. She described working as a prostitute in Las Vegas and Ventura. She has been working out of Santa Barbara hotel rooms for two days. Her pimps threatened “to beat her” if she did not make money for them. They advertised by various means including the Internet. Detectives found corroborating evidence of the prostitution operation inside the motel room. They seized a laptop computer and material that identified the two pimps. Meanwhile, at 8:00 p.m., an officer spotted the female suspect driving downtown in a champagne colored 1997 Cadillac with Nevada plates. At first the driver refused to yield; speeding up Chapala Street and running several red lights. The driver stopped at 1600 Chapala Street, and was arrested without further incident. Officers arrested Tanya Leann Johnson, age 26 with a listed address in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was charged with pimping and pandering a minor, evading arrest amounting to a felony, and being an unlicensed driver. Her bail is set at $250,000. The other suspect has been identified, but is not in custody. He is believed to be from the Bakersfield area. The 15-year-old girl was taken into protective custody.
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