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Raid on Braceville Twp. spa results in prostitution charge
By Ed Runyan
BRACEVILLE
A 52-year-old woman was led away in handcuffs Tuesday afternoon from the Four Seasons Health Spa on state Route 5 near the Ohio Turnpike to face a misdemeanor prostitution charge.
The arrest was part of a raid carried out by the Braceville Township Police Department after it received information a few weeks ago regarding alleged prostitution going on there, township Police Chief Bill Garro said.
The department then used surveillance and other techniques before obtaining a search warrant and entering the business Tuesday morning.
Inside, Braceville officers found evidence that prostitution was taking place, Garro said. A Fowler Township police dog and his handler assisted.
There were seven people in the business at the time, including two customers. No charges were going to be filed Tuesday against any of the customers or any of the four other employees, Garro said.
The woman charged was Kyung Lee, who gave an address of 4300 state Route 5, Newton Falls — the address of the Four Seasons Health Spa. The charge is a third-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.
Evidence gathered during the investigation will be turned over to prosecutors for possible additional criminal charges, Garro said.
The raid is similar to one conducted May 30 in Warren, several miles to the east, in which the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation served search warrants on eight massage parlors.
Those raids followed a yearlong investigation that involved interviews with “Johns” and former employees who told investigators about the sex trade going on at the businesses.
The eight Warren parlors have since closed, and their licenses to operate have been revoked for a year.
Garro said the Ohio BCII did not head up the investigation into the Four Seasons, but it did offer assistance, will process the physical evidence gathered at the scene and has offered to assist the investigation.
Garro said he would expect the Braceville Township trustees to take legal action to close down the Four Seasons if that becomes necessary.
Garro said the Four Seasons, which is the only massage parlor in Bracveville Township, has been open at that location for at least 10 years. It has been operating from 8 a.m. to midnight.
Prior to the information the department received a couple weeks ago, it had not received a complaint about the business since about 2008, Garro noted.