A Glouster woman accused of prostituting a 16-year-old girl in exchange for money and drugs was arraigned Wednesday in the Athens County Common Pleas Court.
Aileen Mays, 27, received a bond set at $35,000 and remains incarcerated in the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail.
Mays was indicted by the Athens County Grand Jury on Oct. 7 for “three counts of compelling prostitution and one count of trafficking in persons.”
The compelling prostitution charges are felonies of the second and third degree and human trafficking is a felony of the first degree, according to the Ohio Revised Code.
On Sept. 27, deputies from the Athens County Sheriff’s Office investigated an Athens residence located on Rocky Point Road with a search warrant after caseworkers from the Athens County Children Services received information that a teenage girl was being used as a prostitute in exchange for money and drugs.
The Rocky Point Road residence belonged to Fred Kittle Sr., 69, a registered sex offender in Athens County due to previous incidents, according to a previous Post article.
Although Mays did not enter a plea during her arraignment Wednesday, she “told deputies she had received drugs in exchange for the 16-year old-girl performing sex acts with Kittle,” the release from the Sheriff’s Office said.
Kittle was arrested Sept. 27 for one count of compelling prostitution and one count of importuning, felonies of the third and fourth degree, respectively, according to the Ohio Revised Code.
However, Kittle’s case was dismissed without prejudice in the Athens County Municipal Court following his bond posting Sept. 28, according to a news release from Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn’s office.
“Kittle’s case will remain in the investigation status at the Athens County Prosecutor’s Office at this time,” Blackburn said in the release.
Mays will appear in court Nov. 4 for a pretrial hearing and is scheduled for a jury trial Dec. 3, according to court documents.
The release from the Sheriff’s Office also said the victim is safe and was in the care of Children Services initially after the incident.
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