(AP) MINNEAPOLIS
A former cheerleader at a suburban Minneapolis high school pleaded guilty Friday to three prostitution-related counts, admitting she persuaded a younger girl to sell herself for sex, then pocketed the money.
Hennepin County prosecutors said Montia Parker, 18, turned down a deal in which she could have received anywhere from 45 months to 60 months in prison. Instead, attorneys will argue over her sentence at a hearing in October.
Parker pleaded guilty to one count each of first-degree soliciting a minor to practice prostitution, first-degree sex trafficking of a minor and first-degree promotion of prostitution of a minor.
According to a statement from prosecutors, Parker admitted that last March she told a 16-year-old fellow cheerleader at Hopkins High School that the girl could earn money through prostitution. After the girl agreed, Parker admitted she placed an ad for the girl online, then took her to an apartment where the girl was paid for oral sex. The girl gave $60 to Parker, who kept the money.
The next day, Parker drove the girl to another apartment, but the girl didn’t do what the man asked her to.
Hennepin County District Court Judge William Koch accepted the guilty pleas but said he wanted the October hearing because he had concerns and wants more information, according to a statement released by prosecutors.
Prosecutors said Parker told the court she felt: “Guilty. Regretful. Remorseful,”
A message left with Parker’s attorney was not immediately returned Friday.
According to the criminal complaint, Parker posed as the girl’s mother and took her out of school. The girl’s mother called police after she noticed changes in her daughter’s behavior and checked the girl’s cellphone, finding messages between Parker and the girl.
Hopkins High School has said it took immediate action when it heard of the charges and followed its disciplinary policy, which includes permanently removing a student from campus.
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