SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — Warning: Story contains violent content
Two Spokane Valley residents are being investigated for second-degree human trafficking and assault in Spokane.
According to a search warrant filed in Spokane County Superior Court, police are investigating 27-year-old Leon Henderson and 22-year-old Heather Kemper, both of Spokane Valley, for second-degree human trafficking following a prostitution sting in Spokane. Henderson is also being investigated for second-degree assault.
The warrant comes after a Spokane Police Department detective called a number listed on a website offering prostitution services. The detective said in the warrant that the advertisement led him to believe the woman being used in the ad may be a victim of human trafficking.
When the detective met with the 20-year-old woman at a Spokane hotel on Jan. 24, he began questioning her and she admitted she “had a violent pimp and she was conducting prostitution dates on his behalf,” according to the documents. The detective also noted that she had a bandage on her left wrist, which she said came from Henderson.
During her interview, the alleged victim told investigators she met Henderson a month ago in Seattle, where he allegedly gave her heroin and forcibly raped her, according to the warrant. She had met with him under the pretext of posing for modeling photos.
The alleged victim also told investigators she had not received any money for her work as it all had went to Henderson, who had allegedly injured her arm and put out a cigarette on her ear, according to the documents.
Henderson then went to Spokane to report to a probation officer and the alleged victim took a Greyhound bus to Spokane, where she was supposed to be picked up by him or Kemper, Henderson’s girlfriend, according to the warrant. The victim had her uncle pick her up and soon found out Henderson had been arrested.
Kemper then allegedly contacted the woman and told her she needed to continue to work as a prostitute, according to the documents. The warrant also states the woman told investigators that Kemper “injected her with heroin … on several occasions.”
In addition to showing the detectives texts that were “consistent with [Kemper] directing her to get to prostitution dates,” the woman also said Henderson threatened to kill her if she reported him to law enforcement and also told her he had family that could “come after her,” according to the documents.
Police discovered Henderson’s identity by matching the arrest date given by the woman with a jail roster. They then showed her the photo, which she identified as Henderson, according to the warrant.
The detectives then used Henderson’s Facebook profile to find Kemper, who the woman said was referred to as “Tiny.” The woman identified Kemper as the other suspect involved, according to the documents.
Following the interview with the woman, police went to the address listed for Henderson and Kemper and saw a vehicle registered to Kemper outside. Officers took a cell phone from the vehicle and arrested Kemper for second-degree human trafficking, according to the warrant.
Henderson is currently in the Benton County Jail for a Department of Corrections violation, according to the warrant.
