By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
Four women were arrested between Nov. 9 and 18 in Jacksonville for prostitution, while another woman was cited in the undercover sting for allegedly running an escort service out of her home.
Charged with a misdemeanor count each of prostitution are Kayla Edmond, 23, of Hot Springs; Lois Chavez, 25, of Vilonia; Krystal Gilbert, 31, of Lonoke; and Tonya Ballou, 38, of Furlow.
The fifth woman — Jessica Peters, 37, of 404 Brewer St. — was not charged with prostitution, but was cited for operating a business without a license, as were Chavez, Gilbert and Ballou.
Edmond wasn’t cited for that, but was charged with a misdemeanor count of obstructing governmental operations after giving police a false name, according the police report.
She had a felony warrant from Montgomery County and had been arrested for prostitution in Little Rock in 2011, it states.
According to a news release, all of the women advertised on a website called backpage.com, and the four charged with prostitution arranged meetings with undercover officers at the Super 8 Hotel, 1850 John Harden Drive, and Econo Lodge, 1800 John Harden Drive.
