Two local women were arrested Tuesday night on misdemeanor sex charges after the pair reportedly offered to "put on a show" for a bachelor party that turned out to be a police sting operation.Prattville Police Chief Alfred Wadsworth confirmed Thursday that Dawn Renee Williams and Ashley Lynn Whitesell, both 33-year-old Prattville residents, are each charged with one count of promotion of prostitution in the third degree. The charge is a misdemeanor, and the women, both of whom are married, were each released on a $500 appearance bond.
Williams, known as "Dixie" on the pair's Web site, and Whitesell, who goes by the name "Darlin'," maintained a site that included racy pictures of themselves, along with a list of services and prices.
The services ranged from a dinner date, which could be purchased for $150, to a 24-hour date that cost customers $1,500. Other services offered include bondage, couples action and "nude housekeeping." According to the Web site, Williams even offered to travel anywhere in the U.S. or overseas, for a fee of $5,500.
The price list included a chart for converting the U.S. dollar amounts to the Euro, British pounds, Canadian and Australian dollars and Japanese yen.
Posted on the site were statements such as, "I love what I do and would like to show you that I do," and, "I am a lady and expect to be treated that way."
The duo also advertised that they were available for bachelor parties, birthday parties or private parties. That's what ultimately led to their arrests.
According to Wadsworth, his department began an investigation into the pair's activities after several citizens notified the mayor's office of the online solicitations. Police set up a fake bachelor party, then arrested the women when they showed up to fulfill the promises they made on their Web site.
"Some citizens called the mayor's office to complain about the Web site, and he notified us," the police chief said. "Our officers selected the bachelor party (which came with a cost of $300, plus tips) and booked a room in a local motel. The women were arrested after they arrived at the motel."
Police and local prosecutors then searched the Williams residence and seized several pieces of evidence, including a home computer and a client list that included the names and phone numbers of several men in the River Region, including "a few" from Prattville, Wadsworth said.
"We're not releasing the names of the clients, because there isn't any crime we can charge them with," he said. "At this point, the only name I can tell you that is not on there, is former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer."
He said police are continuing their investigation into the online operation, and speculated that other charges could evolve from that investigation.
"Our Computer Forensics Unit will evaluate her computer and see if there were any other violations of the law," he said.
The police chief said realization that such an enterprise was being conducted in the Fountain City caught him a little unaware. He added that police acted promptly to bust the operation in order to show that such criminal activity would not be tolerated within the city limits of Prattville.
"In the past, we've had some women from Montgomery who rented motel rooms here and did this type of thing," he said. "But it was really surprising to be notified that this business was operating so much in the open, in our city. We hope these arrests will deter other people from doing this type of thing here, and will cause the people who utilize these services to go somewhere else."
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