The arrests of seven suspects connected to a prostitution ring in Hattiesburg last weekend demonstrated multi-agency cooperation in fighting sex crimes that could escalate to human trafficking.
Because of the volume of sex-crime activity throughout the region, undercover operations targeting prostitution and human trafficking could take place every night, according to one law enforcement officer.
Forrest County Sheriff’s Capt. Phillip Hendricks is a member of the Pine Belt Anti-Human-Trafficking Taskforce, which conducted undercover operations in Hattiesburg. He said the task force is continually working to fight local sex crimes.
Captain Phillip Hendricks
“I really believe we could go out just about every night of the week and make arrests,” he said. “This is going on every night and in the low-end hotels, but not just in Hattiesburg – in every city. Pretty much every one of these people was in direct contact with (someone) undercover chatting on either an app or website.”
The seven suspects arrested were:
Jessica Rasha Cochran
1. Jessica Rasha Cochran, 25, of Monticello, was arrested and charged with engaging in prostitution. Bond was $500. Cochran bonded-out on Sunday.
Alicia Clarissa Webb
2. Alicia Clarissa Webb, 35, of Detroit, Michigan, was arrested and charged for engaging in prostitution. Bond was $500.
Calvin Marquel Coleman
3. Calvin Marquel Coleman, 25, of Hattiesburg was arrested for procuring prostitution. He was a customer that tried to pay an undercover officer for sex. Bond was not specified.
Jaminca Domenna Grant
4. Jaminca Domenna Grant, 43, of Flint, Michigan, was arrested for aiding and abetting prostitution. Hendricks said she acted as a lookout. Bond not specified.
Kandi Jo Brand
5. Kandi Jo Brand, 29, of Hattiesburg was arrested for promoting prostitution ($20,000 bond) and possession of a controlled substance: methamphetamine ($5,000 bond). “In order to be charged with sex trafficking, there has to be a threat of violence or the person has to be a minor, which we couldn’t prove that there was a threat of violence. So, we had to charge her with promoting,” Hendricks said.
Wallace Kim Bolton Jr.
6. Wallace Kim Bolton Jr. was arrested for possession of a controlled substance – marijuana, possession of paraphernalia and a Mississippi Department of Corrections warrant.
Colbi Defiore
7. Colbi Defiore, 27, of Carriere was arrested for child exploitation ($25,000 bond) and sexual cyberstalking – computer luring of a person under 18 ($50,000 bond). More story below.
Hendricks said the range of the South Mississippi operation stretches from Jackson to Mobile, Alabama.
“Some of these people are actually on kind of a loop,” he said. “They’ll leave Jackson, hit Meridian, maybe Laurel and Hattiesburg. They’ll go over to Mobile, Alabama, and they’ll hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast and then back up to Jackson.”
The prostitutes are also part of the rotation involved in the loop, Hendricks said.
“Some girls work the same city, and they have regular customers,” he said. “There is a certain type of customer, and they don’t want to pay for sex with the same girl over and over. They want something new, so these girls kind of get on this loop. Some of them will be in Meridian, and some of them will be in Hattiesburg. It kind of keeps something different for the customers.”
Hendricks said the sex-for-sale business has changed with the times.
“It’s not as visible as it used to be,” he said. “Twelve years ago, when I started in law enforcement, they had open-air prostitution at Hattiesburg. The girls would walk down Highway 49 Bypass; they were very visible, and people would pick them up. Now, because of everything on the internet, the girls are not visible. Unless you go to the hotels that they’re staying at, you probably will not come in contact with them. Your average citizen doesn’t know what’s going on because they’re not driving by and seeing them.”
Law enforcement agencies that participated in the operation were the Hattiesburg Police Department, Forrest County Sheriff’s Department, Homeland Security, Mississippi Department of Corrections, 12th District Narcotics Enforcement Team, Purvis Police Department, Waveland Police Department, Wiggins Police Department, and Forrest County Drug Court.
“It’s a lot of work on this,” Hendricks said. “We’re going to be helping some other cities in the near future to work on the problem.”
Not-for-profit organizations that provided volunteers and logistical support were Klaas Kids, FREE International, Called2Rescue, Anonymity Rescue Ministries, and The Center for Violence Prevention.