Three of the six people arrested in a prostitution raid in Branford appeared in court today where we learned a bit more about them. For two of the suspects it was their first brush with the law but one of the women has an extensive criminal background.
This is 41-year-old Carmel Mahon's sixth arrest for prostitution. The latest was Wednesday night when police raided Marlow’s Health Studio.
Also arrested, 25-year-old Stephanie Hammill. Her public defender argued she’s a single mother facing her first arrest. She was allowed to leave with a promise to appear. Once outside she tried set the record straight saying, “I’m not a hooker, I don’t know what this is about.”
But Branford Lieutenant Geoffrey Morgan says the evidence gathered by police says otherwise, “within the last 30 days we’ve been able to garner enough information through the investigation to substantiate the warrants”
Armed with the warrants, police raided the studio and a home in Ansonia Wednesday night, arresting 6 people. Mahon, Hammill, 34-year-old Bridget Hastings and 43-year-old Karen Francis all have been charged with prostitution.
48-year-old Howard Johnson and 34-year-old Jazmin Benavides the owner of the studio live together in Ansonia. They were nabbed for promoting and permitting prostitution. Johnson also allowed to leave with a promise to appear.
People who work in the same building say they were never bothered by what was allegedly going on behind the door of the now closed studio, “it never really bothered me too much, it didn’t. Honestly, I know they've been there for many years. Not quite sure why all of a sudden they did something about it,” says Francine Wheeler, the owner of Poochies Parlor.
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Donald Mei, whose accounting office is one door down from the studio says he hadn’t noticed any suspicious activity, “I never has any sense that they were here of not here.”
According to Branford police, more arrests are expected.
