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St. George Police arrest two adults, rescue teen girl forced into prostitution

Posted at 2:53 PM, Oct 06, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-06 17:39:57-04

ST. GEORGE, Utah — Two adults are behind bars for allegedly exploiting a 15-year-old girl for months, during which time they often denied her food, gave her large amounts of drugs and forced her into prostitution.

The St. George News reports the arrests were the result of a sting operation conducted Tuesday after police received information about a female soliciting sexual acts for money in St. George.

After arranging to meet a prostitute at a local motel, detectives arrived and learned she was a 15-year-old girl who was participating involuntarily.

“The female was obviously young in appearance, and Detectives learned she is 15 years old,” Officer Lona Trombley of the St. George Police Department told St. George News. “She was homeless and a runaway at the time she was taken in by strangers and groomed to become a prostitute.”

Police arrested 33-year-old John Paul Alcutt of Richmond, California and 24-year-old Kelii Minyon Maxey of Burbank, California.

St. George News reports Alcutt admitted to transporting Maxey and the teen to Utah and arranging for them to be prostituted, and Alcutt received money for their prostitution. Police state the pair had been exploiting the teen victim for several months, and they would often deny her food and the ability to move freely. They also allegedly gave her large amounts of drugs.

Maxey struck a police vehicle with the vehicle she was driving three times before her eventual arrest, and she and Alcutt face numerous charges that include exploitation of prostitution involving a child. Maxey faces additional charges of assault against a police officer.  Visit St. George News for more on this story.

St. George Police stated on Facebook that while some may think prostitution is a “victim-less crime”, they don’t share that opinion.

“Incidents such as these are why our department investigates allegations of this nature,” the post states in part. “These crimes are not victim-less. Sometimes those who initially appear to be suspects are in fact victims themselves forced into the situation and in need of protection. Sometimes too, they are children.”