A 27-year-old man from Peoria, Ill. has been charged in Westlake with felony Promoting Prostitution.
On Tuesday, Feb. 5, Westlake PD received a call from Lakefront Bus Lines reporting that one of its buses had pulled over on I-90 at Crocker. A female on the bus had told the driver that she was being held against her will by a Darnell D. Stennis, who was also a passenger on the bus.
After officers responded, the adult female from Illinois told them that Stennis had been directing her as a prostitute as they traveled through several states while "working." Stennis denied the allegations, stating that they were a couple who enjoyed traveling.
After officers investigated the claims, Stennis was taken into custody and charged with felony Promoting Prostituion. Westlake PD Capt. Gerald Vogel told WKYC that detectives and members of the Cuyahoga County Human Trafficking Task Force are working together to assemble as much info as possible to determine the best place to prosecute the case, be it federal or county court.