Suspected Hookers 'Mute'

Suspected

Hookers

'Mute’

By Paul McEnroe

STAFF REPORTER

Ann Arbor Police Chief Walter Krasny today credited The News recent stories on prostitution with playing a role in the raids of two suspected massage parlor-prostitution operations here.

Saying it took as much time to plan as pulling off a good bank robbery, a city police detective today termed the raid on two massage parlors Thursday a “great success.”

Arraignments took place before 15th Circuit Court Judge Pieter S.V. Thomassen. Eleven women, all charged with accosting and soliciting, stood mute.

CHIEF KRASNY said today the usually low priority of making prostitution arrests rose to a “very high” level after numerous citizen complaints against the suspected massage parlor-prostitution operation, The Velvet Touch and the U.S. Health Spa.

Krasny in part credited The News recent stories on the prostitution business in the city. “We had to disprove or prove the things that Were brought up by the -press and what we found proved out to be true — prostitution is thriving. By no means is this investigation over.”

Krasny, - continued, “If anyone thinks our men are turning our backs Am this kind of thing going on around town they are sadly mistaken. We received great backing from the prosecutor’s office on this. Let me tell you this was not one of the cheapest operations. We spent a lot of time on this. Probably Over three months.”

Detective Calvin Hicks led a nine-man squad of undercover policemen in the two raids which occurred simultaneously Thursday evening. There were a lot of man hours spent on this getting background information and making sure there was an airtight case when we went into .court,” said Hicks.

SATURDAY THE U.S. Health Spa

was evicted from its premises on 212 W. Huron Street, above the Whiffletree restaurant for failure to pay $300 a month rent on time to Ro-An Realty. Krasny called that incident “a very nice fringe benefit to see in light of the raids that went down."

The following women all from Ann Arbor, were arraigned in District Court this morning: Angie Romagnoli, 27; Julie Whiting, 26; Corby Paul, 22; Rebecca Corry, 23; Pamela Sjo, 23; Diane Schmidt, 19; Carol Jones, 30; Abby Neely, 18; Lorraine Beck, 22, Vicki Sawyer, 19; Patricia Wood, 22.

PRESET BONDS of $100 was continued and all were ordered to appear for a pre-trial hearing Nov. 29.

All of the charges stemmed from incidents, according to Hicks, occurred either in October or early this month.

On the way into court all of the women appearing refused to' comment on the arrests and they were shunted away by attorneys from a photographer and reporters by being led into the courtroom through the back door.

Finally after hoping that a photographer and reporter would leave the courtroom, some of the women donned ski masks and left for the elevator yelling and making obscene gestures.