HOUSTON — Three suspects accused of forcing a woman into prostitution went before a judge overnight.
The victim's mother is getting credit for saving her life, and it happened just in time as court documents state the suspects were getting ready to take the victim to New York Tuesday evening.
Kevin Winston, 25, Martina Chambers, 20 and Mikia Collins, 19, are charged with compelling prostitution and trafficking of a person, both felonies.
Winston and Chambers have also been charged with aggravated promotion of prostitution.
Early Thursday morning, a judge set the bonds for those three suspects ranging from $40,000 to $100,000.
Winston is also a father of two children, ages 2 and 5 months, who live in the Houston area.
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This may not be the first time these suspects have done this. Chambers has been charged with prostitution before, but the charges were dropped.
The three suspects were arrested Tuesday after police rescued the victim, who was allegedly forced into prostitution.
The mother of the 20-year-old woman called police around 3 p.m. Tuesday and said her daughter was being held against her will. She said her daughter had been missing since Dec. 27, 2018.
According to police, the woman, who is from Fort Worth, went to Houston with a friend looking for jobs. Her friend went back to Fort Worth after a week, and the woman continued job searching while staying in a hotel on the southwest side.
Police said one of the suspects began "grooming" the woman, paying for her hotel and clothing before assaulting her and forcing her into prostitution.
According to court documents, the suspects also withheld the victim’s state-issued identification card, personal cell phone and continue to threaten physical assault as a way to keep her from escaping.
The mother told police she received a short phone call from her daughter who said she was being held against her will and forced into prostitution. Officers found prostitution ads with photos of the woman and contacted one of the suspects to arrange a meeting at the hotel.
Police said within 45 minutes of the meeting, the woman was rescued, and three suspects were taken into custody.
Police stressed speed in tracking down the woman was key, as the suspects had rented a car and planned to take her to New York on Tuesday where Winston is from.
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