Couple arrested in connection to prostitution operation, child neglect in Hanover County
A Hanover County couple is accused of running a prostitution operation out of their Mechancisville home.
HANOVER, Va. (WWBT) - A tip from a concerned Mechanicsville citizen led to the arrest of two parents accused of running a prostitution operation out of their home.
A more than 2-month investigation led to the arrest of 45-year-old Tara Rhiannon Inman on March 1st and 49-year-old James Louron Inman on March 2nd.
The Hanover County Sheriff’s Office believed the two may have been soliciting prostitution from a home on the 9200 block of Tall Oaks Lane.
As investigators worked, they tell NBC12 they uncovered details that even they found tough to talk about publicly.
“Oh, I don’t think you want me talking about that on television. It’s nothing good.” Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Lt. James Cooper said.
Many of those details are in pages of court documents. They tell a story that began with a tip to police in late December, a tip that sex was being offered for money at the Inman’s home on Tall Oaks Lane in Mechanicsville.
“Our investigators then set up an operation and began looking into it further. Based on the information they received while conducting that operation, they obtained a search warrant,” Lt. Cooper said.
A search warrant reveals investigators found an ad posted on an escort website, eventually leading them to the home.
In early January, the warrant said an undercover officer posed as a client, arranging to pay Tara for a sex act.
“Commercial sex trafficking is a crime that affects everybody in every community throughout the country, and that’s something we take very seriously,” Lt. Cooper said.
The warrant also states multiple cell phones, a laptop with a camera facing a bed and couch, and evidence of having and manufacturing narcotics were found in the home.
Investigators said in the warrant the two engaged in prostitution and used cell phones and other equipment to communicate with clients, take pictures and videos and post them online.
“A lot of commercial sex trafficking occurs through prostitution, which is why it’s so important for us to continue to execute these operations regarding and targeting prostitution because commercial sex trafficking occurs a lot in that industry,” Lt. Cooper said.
The Inman’s are also charged with child neglect because their teenage children were at the home.
Other charges include maintaining a bawdy or indecent place and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
Tara Inman was released on a secured bond, and James Inman is currently at Pamunkey regional jail with no bond.
Lt. Cooper said the next step is to turn their evidence to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Anyone with further information about these cases is asked to contact the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office at (804) 365-6140 or the Metro Richmond Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.
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