Ellington

Former University of Washington guard Venoy Overton was charged this past Friday with a second-degree felony for promoting prostitution. Overton is being held in King County Jail with a set bail of $150,000 while waiting for his June 30 arraignment. The court requested Overton’s passport to be restricted to travel within the state of Washington, preventing him from accepting offers to play overseas.

According to the police report, the 18-year-old woman told police officers she was brought to a location on Pacific Highway South and was told to perform certain sexual acts in exchange for varying dollar amounts. She then would give a portion of the money earned to Overton. The woman said she had been brought to the same location twice before.

The unnamed woman involved first met Overton in September 2010 and said she paid him $100 a week whenever she wanted to see him, which totaled to approximately $3,000. Overton admitted to profiting from the woman.

“I’m not gonna turn down money from a girl,” Overton said in the police report.

Police officer Lovisa Dvorak and Sgt. Andy Grove from the Kent Police Department caught the woman when they were on surveillance May 20 at approximately 10 p.m. on Pacific Highway South. She reportedly admitted to prostitution activities and said that her boyfriend, identified as Overton, pressured her into it.

“She told us she was new to prostitution,” Dvorak said in the police report. “She said it was her boyfriend’s idea and stated he had ‘pushed’ her to do it despite her telling him she didn’t want to.”

The woman told the police she called Overton on May 18 in tears, telling him she was broke. Two days later, Overton dropped her off at Pacific Highway South — a place police say has a high prostitution rate — and told her to “walk slow and sexy,” she said.

The woman was allegedly paid $200 for sex acts, which she split with Overton.

“This investigation and arrest highlights the need to continue to aggressively investigate and enforce the laws regarding human trafficking offenses,” Kent Police Lt. Pat Lowery said.

Overton has now been under investigation three times while at the UW. Seattle Police Department records say the first investigation occurred in 2009 regarding explicit text messages he sent to his 15-year-old cousin saying he wanted to have sex with her, although he was not charged for communicating with a minor for immoral purposes after it was determined there was not enough evidence to press charges.

Overton was charged with providing alcohol to a minor in March, which stemmed from an investigation of the alleged sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl. He was suspended for the Pac-10 tournament, but UW head basketball coach Lorenzo Romar allowed the then-senior guard to play in the NCAA tournament.

“I have been informed of the arrest of Venoy Overton and I am extremely disappointed,” Romar said in a statement Thursday regarding the recent arrest. “My staff and I spent an extraordinary amount of time and energy attempting to mentor Venoy prior to his recent graduation, so this news is especially troubling.”

Reach News Editor Josh Liebeskind and reporter Hayat Norimine at news@dailyuw.com.