A Summit County woman who reported being abused by her housemate admitted to working as a prostitute and then led authorities to three of her johns to corroborate her story.
With a bruised and reddened face, Lilly Peaks, 35, called the Summit County Sheriff’s Department to report being struck by Daniel Pitner in a dispute over men calling their residence near Dillon.
When Detective Joseph Cahill asked her what she had been doing prior to the dispute, Peaks said she had been visiting some friends in a nearby apartment complex, but she could not provide their names or addresses.
He then spied a business card on a living-room table that read: “Let me help make your vacation unforgettable!! … Your personal travel companion,” and he inquired about her line of work.
At that point, Peaks – who reportedly had legally changed her name – admitted being an “escort in adult private entertainment” and that earlier she had sex with three men for $100 each.
Peaks then led deputies to the apartments of Jorge Luis Vera-Ovalle, Tomas Domin guez-Giron and Gamaliel Bautista-Ochoa, all of whom admitted paying her for sex earlier in the evening and denied seeing her injured or striking her.
At that point, Pitner was arrested and charged with third- degree assault. Meanwhile, Peaks was arrested on prostitution charges, and the three other men were arrested on suspicion of soliciting a prostitute.
“We all know that it’s something that occurs here,” said Cahill, who indicated a wider prostitution ring may yet be uncovered with further investigation. “With our climate, you don’t have prostitutes out walking the streets. The majority of the business is done by word of mouth or by phone.”
Staff writer Steve Lipsher can be reached at 970-513-9495 or slipsher@denverpost.com.
