An Ellington man and Manchester hotel owner accused of having a “sex dungeon” and previously charged with attempted sex trafficking is now facing a sexual assault charge.
Simon Hessler, 47, was charged Friday with fourth-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a child as part of an ongoing investigation into human trafficking. Police said the victim was 11 years old. More details were not immediately available.
Hessler has been in custody since 2018, when he was arrested as part of a human trafficking investigation and charged with attempted and conspiracy at tracking in persons, attempted felony patronizing a prostitute, attempted second-degree sexual assault, attempted impairing the morals of a minor, attempted unlawful restraint, attempted cruelty to persons, and attempted promotion of child pornography.
Hessler owned and managed the Baymont Inn and Suites in Manchester, police said. In court documents from the original arrest, police said Hessler tried to pay an undercover trooper to bring an underage victim to his hotel property. According to those court documents, during conversations with undercover law enforcement Hessler said he had a "dungeon" that he used for "slave training" for young, inexperienced girls. The documents state that Hessler sent pictures of a room with multiple beds with whips and chains and handcuffs on the walls. Hessler also said he'd been doing the "training of slaves" for over 20 years and had customers all over from New York City to Boston, according to the documents.
At the time, police said authorities were looking for other victims.
Hessler’s bond from the original charges remains at $1 million. Friday’s charges carry a court-set bond of $75,000.
