Conway, Arkansas – Conway residents are in disbelief after arrests at a nearby strip mall. Following a several-week investigation, the police detained two ladies on suspicion of prostitution.
According to the police, Coral Reflexology was the establishment in the 700 block of South Salem Street. Locals claim that the establishment was a massage parlor. Restaurants, hair salons, an insurance company, and even a church are located on the same street corner as it.
Dolphine Newton, the proprietor of the nearby company Eva’s Beauty Supply, expressed regret about the circumstance.
“You kind of think okay everyone is involved in a legitimate business,” Newton said.
Although Newton’s store has everything one needs to appear fantastic from the outside, he discovered on Tuesday night that appearances may be deceiving. A few doors down in the same commercial mall is Coral Reflexology.
“I never thought such a thing could be happening in this complex,” Newton admitted.
Authorities detained Fen Xie, 48, and Lin Chin, 43, at Coral Reflexology for prostitution, a Class B misdemeanor.
Local complaints, according to Conway Police, prompted weeks of inquiry. More than $14,000 in cash, many ledgers, and video equipment were discovered during a search of Coral Reflexology on November 9th. These items were turned in as evidence.
Not just retail owners are in shock about it. Tuesday, Donna Rohrscheib took her little kid in the backseat while she went food shopping.
“Things like this don’t happen in Conway. Nothing like this has ever happened in Conway.” Rohrscheib said. “It’s one of those places where everybody knows each other, and we do a lot of local shopping.”
Newton claimed that ever since the massage parlor opened around four months ago, he has always noted that there is greater traffic there in the evening.
According to Arkansas law, the first crime of sexual solicitation is a Class B misdemeanor, while the second and subsequent offenses are Class A misdemeanors.
“We have a daughter and she’s a teenager, and for this to be happening basically next door, now you start asking yourself,” Newton said. “What will she be exposed to?”
According to Lacey Kanipe, the Conway Police Department’s public information officer, no customers or business partners had been detained as of the time of their release. She noted that the inquiry would determine whether or not to file any charges.