WORTHINGTON -- Jaquon Duckworth, 24, of Sioux Falls. S.D., is currently in Nobles County Jail facing prostitution charges and is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Tuesday morning.
Duckworth is facing two felony counts of promoting prostitution of an individual and engaging in sex trafficking.
According to court records, an undercover law enforcement officer conducted an investigation involving advertisements posted in the adult services section of Backpage.com, a nationwide classified website, on Oct. 28. The officer found an ad posted by an individual who identified himself as “Slippery Massage.”
The officer responded to the ad and agreed to meet with the individual at a Worthington address. Prior to the meeting, “Slippery Massage” sent sexually explicit material to the undercover officer, and a $250 amount was agreed upon for intercourse.
A woman entered the residence where the undercover officer had arranged to meet with “Slippery Massage” and was arrested. The woman was interviewed by officers and denied having any knowlege of the Backpage.com ad, adding that she was told to go to the residence by a person she didn’t want to identify. She told police that her cousin, Duckworth, drove her to the residence.
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The woman was also very inconsistent during her interview as to where she had been before coming to Worthington. She first claimed she had been in Sioux Falls, where she stayed at various apartments and hotels. She later changed her story, claiming that she had arrived on a bus in Worthington the previous evening and picked up by her cousin.
Officers believed that the unwillingness of the woman to give information -- as well as her contradictory answers -- were signs of a sex trafficking victim. They subsequently contacted the Southwest Crisis Center. Duckworth, meanwhile, was arrested and taken to Nobles County Jail.
The officers knew that Duckworth was on federal probation for promoting prostitution. He was previously convicted of a human trafficking-related offense and promoting prostitution of an individual in Olmsted County on Dec.17, 2015. When asked about his previous charges, Duckworth claimed that “he took the fall for his pimp” and also denied having knowledge of the Backpage.com ads.
Duckworth told police that he had run into the woman, who he said was his step-cousin, at the mall in Sioux Falls. He explained that she asked him if he could give her a ride to Worthington since he was driving to Austin, and that she was willing to pay him $20. Duckworth said the drive to Worthington was longer than expected since his car had a bad tire; “Slippery Massage” had also indicated his car had a bad tire. He added that he didn't know which house his step-cousin had entered, but officers saw him driving past the house and parking a block away.
In addition to his prior record, the fact that Duckworth accepted the money from the step-cousin, and also dropped her off at the residence and didn’t leave, brought suspicion to the officers. Officers also found four cell phones in his car.
Both charges carry a maximum sentence of 25 years in jail, a fine of not more than $60,000, or both.
