08-12-2008, 12:53 PM
LOWELL -- Police say it started when a 42-year-old Lowell man used cash advances from credit cards to fill a duffel bag with $62,000, spent an hour or two drinking cognac, and then set out in search of a prostitute.
What would result, said a police official who declined to be named, was one of the most sordid tales city police have seen in quite a while.
The 42-year-old man in question, who police have not identified, found his alleged prostitute in the Lower Highlands Saturday, where he rode on his bike about 8 p.m., with a Nike duffel bag slung on his shoulder.
He met Jessica Garcia, 30, of 46 Aiken Ave., Unit 2, Lowell, in front of 143 Westford St., and followed her into the basement after she solicited him, according to a police report.
Inside the basement, the two negotiated a price of $30 for sex, and when the man retrieved the money from his bag, Garcia noticed how much cash he had, according to police.
Garcia also noticed just how drunk the would-be customer was, and decided to take his money, police said.
As the man sat intoxicated in a chair, Garcia tied the man's belt around his ankles, and then suddenly shoved him, knocking him to the floor as she grabbed the duffel bag and ran off, according to police.
The man soon appeared at the Highlands precinct reporting the robbery about 8:30 p.m.
Though the man's story sounded bizarre, detectives took a description of the woman, and began checking at local hotels to see if anyone fitting that description had recently checked in and paid in cash.
At the DoubleTree Hotel downtown, employees confirmed that someone had, and that the woman fit the description.
About 3 a.m., officers knocked on the woman's room door and were invited inside, immediately spotting two large stacks of $20 and $50 bills on a nightstand.
When investigators asked the man and woman in the room to come to the station to answer some questions, they noticed a stack of $100 bills behind the woman.
In all, $44,521 was found in the hotel room, police said.
Garcia had spent some of the money on Lottery tickets and alcohol, but the rest is unaccounted for, according to police.
Police also said they plan to investigate and make sure the 42-year-old man obtained the cash legally. Garcia is charged with unarmed robbery. She was to be arraigned today in Lowell District Court.
What would result, said a police official who declined to be named, was one of the most sordid tales city police have seen in quite a while.
The 42-year-old man in question, who police have not identified, found his alleged prostitute in the Lower Highlands Saturday, where he rode on his bike about 8 p.m., with a Nike duffel bag slung on his shoulder.
He met Jessica Garcia, 30, of 46 Aiken Ave., Unit 2, Lowell, in front of 143 Westford St., and followed her into the basement after she solicited him, according to a police report.
Inside the basement, the two negotiated a price of $30 for sex, and when the man retrieved the money from his bag, Garcia noticed how much cash he had, according to police.
Garcia also noticed just how drunk the would-be customer was, and decided to take his money, police said.
As the man sat intoxicated in a chair, Garcia tied the man's belt around his ankles, and then suddenly shoved him, knocking him to the floor as she grabbed the duffel bag and ran off, according to police.
The man soon appeared at the Highlands precinct reporting the robbery about 8:30 p.m.
Though the man's story sounded bizarre, detectives took a description of the woman, and began checking at local hotels to see if anyone fitting that description had recently checked in and paid in cash.
At the DoubleTree Hotel downtown, employees confirmed that someone had, and that the woman fit the description.
About 3 a.m., officers knocked on the woman's room door and were invited inside, immediately spotting two large stacks of $20 and $50 bills on a nightstand.
When investigators asked the man and woman in the room to come to the station to answer some questions, they noticed a stack of $100 bills behind the woman.
In all, $44,521 was found in the hotel room, police said.
Garcia had spent some of the money on Lottery tickets and alcohol, but the rest is unaccounted for, according to police.
Police also said they plan to investigate and make sure the 42-year-old man obtained the cash legally. Garcia is charged with unarmed robbery. She was to be arraigned today in Lowell District Court.
![[Image: 2_21_081208_hoopsinternal.jpg]](http://www.foxnews.com/images/416221/2_21_081208_hoopsinternal.jpg)