Former UW basketball player Overton arrested

Former Washington basketball player Venoy Overton was arrested Thursday and booked into jail for investigation on felony charges of promoting prostitution, according to Kent police.

Overton’s arrest stems from an investigation that began in May after Kent officers questioned an 18-year-old woman for what police called “prostitution activity” on Pacific Highway South, according to Lt. Pat Lowery. The woman told officers that she had been brought to the area by her boyfriend, who gave her specifics about what sorts of sex acts to perform and what to charge for them.

Lowery said the woman identified her boyfriend as Overton.

The woman also told police that she was required to give Overton some of the money she made, Lowery said. She also said she had been brought to the area to prostitute on two prior occasions, he said.

Lowery said additional information linked Overton to the crime, but he did not elaborate. Overton was booked into the Kent jail and likely will appear in court on Friday.

Overton’s arrest in South Seattle is his second run-in with the law this year.

In January, he was investigated by police after he had sex with two 16-year-old girls he met online. After a two-month investigation, he was charged with providing alcohol to a minor, a gross misdemeanor.

Overton’s arrest puts in jeopardy a plea agreement in the earlier case, in which the Seattle City Attorney’s Office dismissed the charge if the 22-year-old stayed out of trouble for a year.

On Thursday, UW coach Lorenzo Romar issued this statement on Overton’s arrest: “I am extremely disappointed. My staff and I spent an extraordinary amount of time and energy attempting to mentor Venoy prior to his recent graduation, so this news is especially troubling.”