KENNETT — State police say they have broken up an alleged prostitution ring in a secluded portion of this well-to-do and picturesque township in southern Chester County.
Police on Tuesday charged the owner of the house, 62-year-old Stephen Arnold Clark, and two Kennett Square women, Cara Briana Martin, 31, and Lacey Nichole Welsh, 20.
A man who identified himself as Clark told a reporter Wednesday that the matter "was a big misunderstanding."
According to a release prepared by Trooper Kelly Cruz, the Troop J vice unit began investigating a house in the 100 block of Round Hill Road after getting reports of suspicious activity there.
Investigators said they determined that the house was the location of a prostitution ring that advertised on Craigslist, a popular Internet site. After an undercover operation was conducted, a search warrant was obtained and police raided the property.
Martin and Welsh were taken into custody and arraigned by Magisterial District Judge James Charley of Caln. They were charged with prostitution, criminal conspiracy and drug offenses.
Clark, who was not taken into custody, has a warrant issued for his arrest for promoting prostitution.
The man who answered the telephone at Clark's home Wednesday told a reporter that he had hired an attorney to defend himself in the case, and would not say what had happend.
"I'm not going to have any comment," the man said. "I'll be cleared in court. I don't want any fuss about this." A woman in the
background then told the man to hang up and the line went dead.
Earlier this month, Craigslist announced it would take precautions to start cracking down on prostitution rings on its site.
As part of Craigslist's agreement with attorneys general around the country, anyone who posts an "erotic services" ad will be required to provide a working phone number and pay a fee with a valid credit card. The Web site will provide that information to law enforcement if subpoenaed.
Jim Buckmaster, Craigslist's CEO, said the deal will allow legitimate escort services to continue advertising, while providing a strong disincentive to companies that are conducting illegal business.
"We don't view it as a penalty, we view it as raising the accountability," he said. "A legitimate business should have no problem with that. They should have no problem providing a phone number or credit card credentials."
Craigslist filed lawsuits this week against 14 software and Internet companies that help people who post erotic service ads to circumvent the Web site's defenses against inappropriate content and illegal activity.
Craigslist, which posts 30 million ads every month for everything from apartment rentals to jobs in hundreds of cities, will also begin using new search technology in an effort to help authorities find missing children and victims of human trafficking.
Police across the country have been arresting people for using Web sites like Craigslist to advertise the sexual services of women and children.
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who brokered the agreement, said his office contacted Craigslist after receiving several complaints from users late in 2007 about photographs depicting nudity on the site. He said Craigslist cooperated fully and there was never a need to threaten legal action against the company.
"The dark side of the Internet must be stopped from eclipsing its immense potential for good," Blumenthal said.
He added: "I am fully convinced that Craigslist wants to stop this activity as much as we do."
Police on Tuesday charged the owner of the house, 62-year-old Stephen Arnold Clark, and two Kennett Square women, Cara Briana Martin, 31, and Lacey Nichole Welsh, 20.
A man who identified himself as Clark told a reporter Wednesday that the matter "was a big misunderstanding."
According to a release prepared by Trooper Kelly Cruz, the Troop J vice unit began investigating a house in the 100 block of Round Hill Road after getting reports of suspicious activity there.
Investigators said they determined that the house was the location of a prostitution ring that advertised on Craigslist, a popular Internet site. After an undercover operation was conducted, a search warrant was obtained and police raided the property.
Martin and Welsh were taken into custody and arraigned by Magisterial District Judge James Charley of Caln. They were charged with prostitution, criminal conspiracy and drug offenses.
Clark, who was not taken into custody, has a warrant issued for his arrest for promoting prostitution.
The man who answered the telephone at Clark's home Wednesday told a reporter that he had hired an attorney to defend himself in the case, and would not say what had happend.
"I'm not going to have any comment," the man said. "I'll be cleared in court. I don't want any fuss about this." A woman in the
background then told the man to hang up and the line went dead.
Earlier this month, Craigslist announced it would take precautions to start cracking down on prostitution rings on its site.
As part of Craigslist's agreement with attorneys general around the country, anyone who posts an "erotic services" ad will be required to provide a working phone number and pay a fee with a valid credit card. The Web site will provide that information to law enforcement if subpoenaed.
Jim Buckmaster, Craigslist's CEO, said the deal will allow legitimate escort services to continue advertising, while providing a strong disincentive to companies that are conducting illegal business.
"We don't view it as a penalty, we view it as raising the accountability," he said. "A legitimate business should have no problem with that. They should have no problem providing a phone number or credit card credentials."
Craigslist filed lawsuits this week against 14 software and Internet companies that help people who post erotic service ads to circumvent the Web site's defenses against inappropriate content and illegal activity.
Craigslist, which posts 30 million ads every month for everything from apartment rentals to jobs in hundreds of cities, will also begin using new search technology in an effort to help authorities find missing children and victims of human trafficking.
Police across the country have been arresting people for using Web sites like Craigslist to advertise the sexual services of women and children.
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who brokered the agreement, said his office contacted Craigslist after receiving several complaints from users late in 2007 about photographs depicting nudity on the site. He said Craigslist cooperated fully and there was never a need to threaten legal action against the company.
"The dark side of the Internet must be stopped from eclipsing its immense potential for good," Blumenthal said.
He added: "I am fully convinced that Craigslist wants to stop this activity as much as we do."
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