A brothel being run out of the Jones Residence Hall was shut down late Tuesday evening.
Four individuals were arrested late Tuesday evening in conjunction with the bust of a brothel run out of Jones Residence Hall. The four, all Resident Assistants, were arrested and taken into custody after an undercover operation successfully infiltrated the establishment and discovered the Jones Hall Brothel, an operation feautring blocs of rooms on every floor with paying, adolescent male customers.
“This is simply shocking. College is a time for self-exploration and unabashed promiscuity, but what these Residential Advisors, supposed leaders and role models for their younger counterparts, have done, well, it’s extortion.” A spokeswoman from the MU Office of Residential Affairs said. “They have preyed upon the insecurities of their residence and channeled those insecurities and utter lack of moralsinto a cash cow. It’s horrific.”
Local authorities’ suspicions were first aroused after officers doing routine surveillance around the campus perimeter noticed scores of young men entering and exiting the building each night.
“To be honest, I didn’t even realize it was an all girls dorm at first,” Officer Mike Dodd said. “There were more men in and out of that building at night than women.”
Upon the discovery of the brothel, local task forces and the university brought in detection dogs. Marijuana, cocaine, and an unknown residue believed to be Cheeto dust were all found at the crime scene. Sexual paraphernalia, cases of condoms, and crates of the emergency contraceptive drug Plan B were also discovered on the premises.
The young women who worked as prostitutes within the brothel will not be charged, as it is believed that most worked against their will and were forced into trafficking.
“I mean I’m not a whore but I like sex. My RA knew that. The first week she saw me bring a different guy up every night, and on one night I had two. I’m just adventurous.” Jones Resident and Brothel worker Abby Miller, whose name has been changed for privacy reasons, said. “But then one night I found some Bacardi in my room. I didn’t put it in there and neither did my roommate, because we hate Bacardi. It was my RA. Then she came around and did alcohol checks and before I know it, she’s threatening me, saying it’s either hang out with these guys at night or get a drinking ticket. It’s really not that bad though. I don’t even have to go out and flirt with guys now, because the RAs just bring them to me.”
While no confirmation was available at this time, it is believed by authorities that all or a majority of the residents of Jones Hall were aware of the brothel’s existence. On each of the hall’s seven floors, the four corner rooms on the building’s southeastern side were used in the operations. A fireman’s pole was installed at some point, running from floor seven down to ground level. Rooms involved in the illegal operations featured plush couches, circular beds, and mirrored walls. Crime scene photos of the rooms show different themes for each floor. Two floors which saw more activity than any other included the 50 Shades of F**ked floor, inspired by the wildly popular 50 Shades of Grey series, as well as the Black and Gold rooms, which appeared to be catered towards athletes in particular.
“People think it’s easy for athletes to get girls,” Jake Hamm, a freshmen football player whose name has been changed for privacy reasons, said. “But it’s really not. We can’t get into frats, and we can’t always get to the off-campus parties. The Jones girls were awesome- really close to home and really nice. They definitely made my first few months of college a lot easier.”
The four Residential Advisors who were taken into custody are being held without bonds. More than 50 residence of Jones Hall have also been taken into custody. Social service agencies have been called in and are attempting to place the girls in safe, supportive residence halls.
