A Houston-area man stands accused of pimping underage high school girls in the Alvin Independent School District.
On Tuesday, Dihlon Lee Davis, 20, appeared in court to face federal felony charges of sex trafficking minors by force, fraud, or coercion.
This followed an investigation that began last April when an underage Manvel High School female student showed an Alvin ISD police officer a screenshot of a texted conversation she had with a “Dillo Davis” who asked the girl if she wanted to work as a prostitute,” according to the Houston Chronicle. She replied “no.” Davis responded he knew prostitution was illegal but he would keep her safe and out of trouble.
Alvin ISD police and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) investigated, learning Davis’ girlfriend, then a minor, attempted to procure other high school girls into the prostitution ring. The Houston newspaper reported her cell phone held images of scantily clad victims. One was a 16-year-old in lingerie with a note: “Do you have a sweet tooth? Well baby I’m your treat I’m sweet, warm, hot, and ready. I’m only one call away. I love to please clean and unrushed services call me lets play [sic]. NO BLOCKED CALL. I promise to leave you wanting more. I also have a sexy friend.”
The photos matched ones on Backpage, then considered the largest online advertiser of adult escort services in North America. Last year, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton made the highest-profile sex trafficking bust in the state’s history. It led to the the notorious website’s shutdown, Breitbart Texas reported.
Court records revealed a victim told police that she, Davis, his girlfriend, and other girls went to a Super 8 motel where the girls charged between $150 and $250 of which Davis took half their money, according to the Houston Chronicle. She said Davis gave them narcotics.
KPRC reported a victim said Davis recruited freshman and sophomore girls at the high school to join the prostitution ring and he drove the girls to the motel. On May 17, 2016, authorities showed up at the Lake Jackson Super 8 motel after tracking the location of Davis’ girlfriend’s smartphone. The motel manager told investigators Davis rented rooms there and paid for them in cash.
When questioned, Davis told police the idea to work as prostitute belonged to the girls. He only helped by renting motel rooms and driving the girls from their homes to the motel. Davis said he received money to pay for gas and drugs, according to court documents.
Alvin ISD released a statement recounting other related events that led to the investigation of this case:
Last April, Alvin ISD administrators and police officers were investigating an altercation that occurred between multiple students at Manvel High School. The conflict started after an accusation was made claiming that one of the students was involved in illicit activity, unrelated to the campus. Alvin ISD Police Officers broadened the scope of their investigation to determine the validity of this accusation.
It was quickly identified that another law enforcement agency, the Texas Department of Public Safety, was actively investigating a 20-year-old adult male who happened to be an acquaintance of one of the student’s involved in the altercation. The basis of the broader DPS investigation was not focused on activity occurring at the campus and therefore the ongoing investigation was continued by the outside law enforcement agency.
Alvin ISD assigned appropriate discipline to the students that were involved in the altercation. At the point when the incomplete investigation shifted away from the Alvin ISD Police Department, there was no conclusive evidence indicating that our students had been involved in illicit activity.
If convicted, Davis faces at least 10 years in jail with the possibility of life in prison.
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