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Couple Kidnaps Woman, Attempt to Sell Her Into Prostitution
Photo by hinducow via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
A man and woman from Long Beach are in custody after being accused of kidnapping another woman, assaulting her and trying to force her to become a prostitute, reports the Long Beach Press-Telegram. Edward Bell, 28, allegedly kidnapped the woman, whose name isn't being released, on Thursday. After assaulting her, he and accomplice Octavia Howard, also 28, drove their victim to San Bernadino where they dropped her off on the grounds that she was to attempt prostitution. The woman was able to flag down a deputy, and the pair were arrested.
They are being held, resepectively, at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga and Central Detention Center in San Bernardino on $250,000 bail each. They are scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday.
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This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
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