Spokane pair suspected of forcing girl into prostitution

A Spokane pair is suspected of forcing a 16-year-old girl into prostitution.

An investigation into human trafficking has been underway for weeks, said Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Detective Damon Simmons.

“Right now we have one verified victim,” he said. “There’s new information surfacing in regards to potential victims. It’s still an ongoing investigation.”

Court documents describe Dante D. Oliver, 35, as a suspected pimp whose prostitutes included the teenage girl, who had run away from home. Rosie L. Williams, 27, also is facing potential charges in connection with the case, records show.

Simmons believes the teen was forced to advertise herself as an escort on Backpage.com and would provide sexual services to clients in an apartment shared by Williams and Oliver at 712 W. Augusta Ave.

Court documents say police found a letter written to the girl by Oliver, who is a convicted sex offender, while he was in the Spokane County Jail earlier this year. It gave her instructions on posting to Backpage.com and details how much Oliver expects her to earn every day.

“This is the part where u plan on bein in pocket & stayin loyal for life,” the letter reads. “Anything less than that is probably a bad move.”

The victim was able to occasionally call or text her mother, who told investigators that her daughter had been forced into prostitution, according to court documents. The teen cautioned her mother not to call or text back because “he reads my messages.” During one phone conversation the teen said she wasn’t safe and that coming home is “not easy,” court documents say.

Simmons said he is not releasing details on how the girl allegedly became involved with Williams and Oliver.

“The victim in this situation got involved with these two, just like numerous other juvenile victims get involved with these types of people when they’re a runaway and they’re out on the street,” Simmons said. “They run into these people who groom them and threaten them and coerce them into things like escorting.”

Though Williams was reportedly assaulted by Oliver and also was forced to turn over money she made as an escort, she is being charged because she had active involvement in trafficking the victim for sex, Simmons said. At one point she hid the victim in a crawl space when investigators came looking for her and told them the victim was in Las Vegas.

Williams was ordered held in the Spokane County Jail on $50,000 bond during a court appearance Wednesday. She is facing charges of promoting commercial sexual abuse of a minor, first-degree human trafficking, unlawful harboring of a minor, permitting commercial sexual abuse of a minor and violation of a protection order.

She was also ordered not to use Facebook or adult websites. “She’s surrounded herself with a number of young women,” prosecuting attorney Stefanie Collins said.

Collins also said the victim has been receiving threats through a third party since Williams was arrested.

Williams has prior convictions for domestic violence assault, domestic violence harassment and violating a no-contact order.

Oliver is currently in the Benton County Jail on a charge of failure to register as a sex offender. He was convicted of the same charge last year and also has convictions for domestic violence assault and violation of a protection order. In 2004, he was convicted of statutory sexual seduction in Clark County, Nevada. The charge is similar to statutory rape.

Phone records from the Spokane County Jail and the Benton County Jail show that Oliver made dozens of phone calls to Williams and the victim. He is facing charges of sexual exploitation of a minor, promoting commercial sexual abuse of a minor, first-degree human trafficking and violation of a protection order.