By MICHAELA SPRINGER
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
Two people leasing a short-term rental property in Westfield now face charges after an investigation uncovered they’d been using the property for prostitution.
Chen
Westfield Police Department officers arrested Chaopeng Chen and QingPing Chen on Thursday after investigators were notified earlier in the week about “suspected prostitution activity” at a Westfield home on Beechwood
At the start of the investigation, detectives soon determined that “multiple men had traveled to the residence after agreeing to pay for various sex acts.” Chaopeng Chen reportedly acted as a “check-in person” for the people coming and going through the home.
Police on Wednesday obtained a search warrant, while also recruiting the help of the FBI and Homeland Security.
Minutes before executing a search warrant on Thursday afternoon, police say a man arrived at the home to “allegedly engage in prostitution.” When investigators moved in for the search, that man left the home. The Chens initially refused to exit the home, but did so some time later “without incident.”
According to police, the suspects had been renting the home through a short-term rental company “for the purpose of conducting illicit activities.” Online jail records list Brooklyn, New York, as Chaopeng Chen’s home address.
A search of the home netted police over $7,500 in cash, cocaine, and other “prostitution-related” items.
Chaopeng Chen has been charged with promoting prostitution and cocaine possession, while QingPing Chen was charged with a misdemeanor count of prostitution.
Police say the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office has been requested to charge the man seen entering the home ahead of the search with making an unlawful proposition.
News 8 has elected not to identify the man as he has not been formally charged.
Help is available for victims of domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual assault. Below is a list of suggested resources, both national and local:
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788
- National Domestic Violence Hotline en español: 800-799-7233 o texto “START” al 88788
- Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence: 24-hour hotline available at 800-332-7385
- Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
- La Plaza Indy
- The Julian Center
- Indiana Child Abuse Hotline: 800-800-5556
- National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-4673
Crime Resources
- Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana: 317-262-8477
- P3tips app | Apple devices | Google Play
This story was originally published by WISH-TV at wishtv.com/news/crime-watch-8/short-term-rental-prostitution-bust.
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