VERNON, Conn. – A Connecticut hotel owner faces a slew of charges after he allegedly tried to pay for a young girl to be his sex slave, according to WTIC.
On Tuesday, police arrested 46-year-old Simon Hessler after he tried to "solicit in exchange for money, a 10-12 year old girl," police said. An investigation later revealed a "sex dungeon" located on the property of another business Hessler owns, police said.
Hessler, the owner of the Baymont Inn and Suites in Manchester, had been unknowingly communicating online with a trooper, who he thought was a human trafficker able to provide him with a child slave for two days of "limitless sex," according to the Hartford Courant.
During their email exchanges, police say Hessler sent the investigator photos of the alleged dungeon – "an elaborate sado-masochism room with multiple beds with whips and chains and handcuffs on the wall," according to the paper.
He allegedly bragged in the emails about his experiencing in "slave training" and said he had various customers between New York City and Boston.
Hessler arranged to have a young girl delivered to a camper on his hotel property, and police arrested him after he made a payment to an undercover officer, according to the arrest warrant.
Police said they will be analyzing evidence taken from the "sex dungeon" and other properties for potential new victims.
Hessler faces charges of attempted conspiracy at trafficking in persons, attempted felony to patronize prostitute, second-degree attempted sex assault, attempted impairing the morals of a minor, attempted unlawful restraint, attempted cruelty to persons and attempted promotion of child pornography.
He was originally held on $250,000 bail but that was later raised to $1 million.
