Phoenix woman faces child sex trafficking charges in Las Vegas
An Arizona woman is facing child sex trafficking and kidnapping charges in Las Vegas for allegedly luring a 15-year-old runaway into prostitution.
Unique Landry, 24, of Phoenix was arrested April 4 after recruiting and engaging the girl from San Diego in prostitution, according to an arrest report.
Metropolitan Police Department officers were in the area of Cameron Street and Tropicana Avenue about 4 a.m. when they saw Landry and the girl jaywalking. Officers conducted a pedestrian stop and took Landry into custody for an outstanding warrant, according to the report.
The second female gave officers multiple fake names before she was finally identified as a girl who had been reported missing, it said. She was taken into custody for providing false information and jaywalking.
When officers conducted a search of the girl’s property, they found a Golden Nugget hotel room key, three condoms and two cellphones.
The girl told police she had run away from home three weeks earlier and had gone to Phoenix to meet her 17-year-old boyfriend, who had an active warrant pending for commercial sex in San Diego. Upon arrival, the girl’s boyfriend introduced her to Landry, who worked as a prostitute, the arrest report said.
The girl expressed interest in prostitution, and Landry took her in, allowing her to stay at her apartment, the report said.
Landry and the boyfriend began to educate the girl on how to engage in prostitution, teaching her how to post online ads, how much to charge for services and which areas in town to go to make the most money, according to the report. The girl then engaged in five prostitution acts while in Phoenix, it said.
The three decided to drive back to California and chose to stop in Las Vegas so Landry could meet her “boyfriend” and she and the girl could make some extra money, the report said.
While in Las Vegas, Landry allegedly engaged in one prostitution act, but the girl didn’t engage in any, though she had plans to, the arrest report said.
Landry, who had four previous prostitution-related arrests in Las Vegas and one in Phoenix, was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on one count of sex trafficking a child under 16, one count of kidnapping a minor and one count of child abuse and neglect, according to court records. Her bail was set at $50,000.
It was not clear if the girl’s boyfriend was also facing charges.
Contact Jessica Terrones at jterrones@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0256. Follow @JessATerrones on Twitter.
