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Suspected Pimp Flown to S.B. Under Armed Guard |
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By Tom Schultz
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Friday, May 04 2007 |
A man arrested in March and suspected of luring a 16-year-old girl into a life of prostitution was flown under armed guard Thursday to Santa Barbara, where he will face charges of pimping and pandering a minor, officials said.
Leonard Charles Rivers, 44, was arrested by U.S. Marshals on March 12 in a district of Las Vegas known for street level prostitution after police in Santa Barbara broke the case on December 12, according to the Santa Barbara Police Department.
 Leonard Charles Rivers
The unidentified girl told authorities that after a few days living on the streets, she was offered a better life filled with "nice clothes" and necessities by a male pimp if she would work for him, McCaffrey said.
Desperate, she agreed, and was soon immersed in a lifestyle of prostitution, McCaffrey said. "She spoke of being whisked from Orange County to Ventura, to Las Vegas, and to Santa Barbara to work as a prostitute. Clients were solicited from Internet web postings. The girl was threatened with beatings if she did not cooperate and make money."
An initial arrest in the case came shortly after police corroborated the girl's situation, McCaffrey said.
Tanya Leann Johnson, 26, was found driving downtown in a champagne-colored Cadillac registered to Rivers, McCaffrey said.
Johnson was booked into County Jail on suspicion of pimping and pandering and held in lieu of $250,000 bail, according to authorities.
Soon after, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Rivers, who was believed at the time to be hiding in Las Vegas, McCaffrey said.
After his arrest, Rivers was held in a Las Vegas jail in lieu of $250,000 bail, officials said.
Upon arrival in Santa Barbara, police said he was booked into County Jail on charges of enticing a minor to commit lewd acts, pandering, and human trafficking. |
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