Crime & Safety

Police: Man Promoted Prostitution at Hotel

Colonial Regional police have charged a 32-year-old co-owner of an escort service with promoting prostitution.

In a prostitution sting, police arrested the co-owner of an escort service outside a Bethlehem-area hotel after a woman who works with him offered to have sex with an undercover officer for $200, court records say.

Colonial Regional police have charged Tyrone J. Musso, 32, of 119 S. 12th St., Apt. 4S, Allentown, with promoting prostitution, a level-three felony.

The records identify Musso as the co-owner of Absolutely Divine Escorts. The undercover officer responded to an online advertisement that Musso placed.

Musso was arrested Wednesday night in the parking lot of the Best Western off Route 512 and north of Route 22 in Hanover Township (Northampton County).

After waiving his Miranda rights, he told police he often gives rides to the woman, "sometimes as often as three times as week and he receives $10," the records say.

But the woman told police "all proceeds" were to be given to Musso "after she engaged in prostitution and left the hotel," the records say.

The woman also told police that it was Musso's phone number listed in the website ad. With Musso in custody, police called the number. The phone Musso had with him rang, the records say.

The woman is identified in Musso's court file, but there is nothing that says she was charged in Wednesday's incident. Online court records also say nothing about her being charged.

A criminal complaint in the case also says:

—The undercover officer called a phone number listed in the advertisement that was placed on the website backpage.com. The officer left a message.

—A woman called back and agreed to meet him at the Best Western. Around 9:45 Wednesday night, the officer received a text message from the phone number he called, "stating she was here." The officer texted her the room number and a few minutes later she knocked on the door.

—The woman agreed to have sex with the officer for $200. The officer then took her into custody.

—She told police that Musso drove her to the Best Western. She identified him as the co-owner of Absolutely Divine Escorts. She said Musso placed the website ad.

—She said she was sleeping when she was awakened and told she had a call. She said Musso handed her the phone "and told her to call this guy and find out what room he is in." Musso was taken into custody in the parking lot.

Musso was arraigned at 2:15 a.m. Thursday by on-duty District Judge Joseph Barner of Lower Nazareth Township and committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $3,000 bail.

Meanwhile, Musso pleaded guilty to a charge of homicide by vehicle in a February 2002 crash in which his passenger was killed. Musso was 20 at the time.

Online court records say Musso entered the plea in 2007. A story in The Morning Call says the crash occurred on the 500 block of Krocks Road near Reppert Lane, Lower Macungie Township.

Musso's passenger, Joshua Von Hummel, 20, of Longswamp Township, was killed, the story says.

Also, Upper Macungie police charged Musso with harassment after removing a woman from a car and allegedly punching her earlier this year. The alleged incident occurred at Grim Road and Industrial Boulevard, the story says.


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