An Augusta woman is facing prostitution charges after allegedly having sex at a city cemetery with a man who picked her up on Western Avenue.

Bobbi-Jo Rollins, 39, was arrested Wednesday afternoon on charges of engaging in prostitution and violating conditions of release, Augusta police Lt. Christopher Massey said.

Ralph Ferguson, 57, of Windsor, who allegedly hired Rollins, was issued a summons charging him with engaging in prostitution.

Rollins, who has a lengthy arrest record, has been charged with prostitution on two other occasions, most recently in May, Massey said. A charge in July 2014 was dismissed when Rollins pleaded guilty to a different charge, Massey said.

Massey said police have received numerous complaints about Rollins’ behavior and, at times, her provocative attire. Police are more concerned, however, about the potential dangers and health risks associated with Rollins’ alleged behavior.

“We have spoken to Bobbi on a number of occasions about stopping this type of activity before she ends up getting hurt,” Massey said.

Advertisement

Rollins was arrested just before 3 p.m. Wednesday after Augusta police detectives driving on Western Avenue saw her get into a truck that pulled over as she stood beside the road. Massey said she was standing near the Melville Street intersection where she has been arrested in the past on prostitution charges.

The detectives followed the truck, which they subsequently learned Ferguson was driving, to Mount Hope Cemetery off Winthrop Street. Ferguson parked the truck, Massey said, and he and Rollins were engaged in sexual activity by the time detectives walked to the truck.

Massey said police investigating most prostitution cases have to look for an underlying crime of human trafficking. Prostitution in those cases is much more secretive and, subsequently, more difficult to investigate, Massey said.

“We don’t see a lot of people engaging in this type of activity by standing on the street corner,” Massey said. “In this case, the detectives weren’t even looking for it.”

Craig Crosby — 621-5642

ccrosby@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @CraigCrosby4


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.