A woman allegedly forced to work as a prostitute at several Columbus hotels has led to Franklin County’s first human trafficking case on Thursday.
A grand jury indicted Roger K. Rider, Craig E. Tackett, Mara D. Morrison and Richard L. Evans, all of Chillicothe, in the case.
The four indicted, who were neighborhood acquaintances of the 24-year-old victim, were accused of luring her to Columbus from Chillicothe with the promise of a party.
Once she arrived in Columbus, the victim was sexually exploited and forced to work as a prostitute at the Super 8 Hotel, Motel 6 and Knights Inn, all located along Dublin Granville Road.
Investigators said that the victim was also forced to prostitute at the Columbus Inn and Suites, located on Zumstein Drive, the Knights Inn on Groves Road and the Baymont Inn on International Gateway.
Investigators said that the exploitation occurred for weeks between October and December 2011.
Prosecutors said that Rider was the alleged ringleader of the operation. According to investigators, Rider and Evans are in custody, while Morrison and Tackett remain at large.
All were charged with trafficking in persons, kidnapping, rape and promoting prostitution. If convicted, the suspects face decades in prison.
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