MEMPHIS, TN – An East Memphis prostitution ring was shut down and police say it was advertised on Craiglist.
The Shelby county Sheriff's Office arrested two women along with Cynthia Ehrlich and Leroy Williams. Erlich is charged with prostitution and promoting prostitution. Williams was arrested on prostitution and drug charges. The pair is accused of running a prostitution ring from their home in the 6900 block of Tulip Trail Drive near Whitten and I-40.
Shelby County Sheriff's deputies were tipped off to the escort service by a popular website - Craigslist. Investigators then arranged a meeting with two women who agreed to perform sexual acts for $250 an hour. When the two women arrived to the motel, they were arrested along with Cynthia Ehrlich. Investigators say that arrest led them to Ehrlich and Williams' Northeast Memphis home. Deputies raided the home on June 19th and found a massage table, drugs, condoms and a computer which listed customer appointments.
But that wasn’t the only sex being sold on Craigslist. The site is traditionally used as a place for classified ads, where people can post anything from jobs to furniture for sale. But you can also click your way to pages and pages of sex.
While it may seem strange to most people Dr. Matthews Martin, a Psychology professor with the University of Memphis, says for some reason the ads make sense. “If you have an overpowering sex addiction, you’ll do anything to get that satisfied,” says Martin.
Eyewitness News Everywhere was able to find all kinds of graphic nude pictures, people selling the fulfillment of strange fantasies and even sex.
George Kuykendall, who runs Citizens for Community Values, says the site’s disclaimer that you must be 18 years or older is just an enticement for a young boy. “There’s a lot on there, that’s fine, but you can figure out the erotic and personal erotic. And kids can find that as easy as adults,” says Kuykendall.
Eyewitness News Everywhere contacted Craigslist for a response, but so far we have not heard back from anyone at Craigslist.
