The girl told investigators she was given rules: "not to talk to any other guys,
give all money to suspects and she couldn't come home until she had money,"
court records state. "Complainant estimates she made up to $1,000 a night."
Stacy Stidham, 23, and Tory Johnson, 29, face one felony count each of
trafficking and compelling prostitution. Ms. Stidham also faces a count of
possession of child pornography. Mr. Johnson faces one count of sexual assault
of a child, as well as one count of possession of a controlled substance in an
unrelated case.
Trey Crutcher, Ms. Stidham's attorney, said his client was a victim.
"My client maintains her innocence," Mr. Crutcher said, declining to comment
further.
Mr. Johnson's attorney could not be reached for comment.
According to court records, the teenager told police she had been staying with
the couple and that she agreed to prostitute for them. She told police she
worked for them from mid-January to early March.
The Dallas Morning News does not typically name the victims of sex crimes.
Police said the girl was not a runaway. It was unclear why she was staying with
the couple.
The girl told police that Ms. Stidham took photos of her with a camera phone
and then downloaded them to a computer before posting them on Craigslist.
Users could look under the "services" section of Craigslist and click on
"erotic" to see lewd photos of the girl, court records state.
The girl also told investigators that she had sex with Mr. Johnson, which court
records say he has admitted to in a written statement.
"Her understanding of the arrangement was that suspect Johnson was the pimp and
suspect Stidham was his bottom girl," court records state.
A "bottom girl" is a prostitute who is the first among equals and helps run the
business and collect money, authorities say.
The girl told the authorities that Ms. Stidham ran the "day-to-day business,
and all the money was given to suspect Johnson" and that the couple drove her
to two Dallas hotels for prostitution dates.
The alleged victim, now 17, faces a charge of prostitution in connection with a
March offense.
Lt. Ches Williams, head of the Dallas Police Department's crimes against
children unit, said the Internet is increasingly being used as a means to
commit crime.
"More and more police agencies are having to spend tremendous amounts of time
trolling the Internet looking for suspects who are exploiting others for
personal profit," Lt. Williams said.
Craigslist officials could not be reached for comment.
