MANCHESTER — An undercover officer arrested “Sexy Karen” Wednesday when she offered more than the escort service she had advertised online, police said.
Officers from the East Central Narcotics task force took Crystal Austin, 29, of Florence, South Carolina, into custody at the Studio 6 Motel, 191 Spencer St. and charged her with prostitution, police said.
She was in custody early Thursday at the Manchester Police Department with bail set at $2,500 and was scheduled to be arraigned at Superior Court later in the day.
Austin had placed an ad in the escort section of “backpage.com,” police said, referring to herself as “Sexy Karen.” Under the watchful eyes of fellow task force members doing surveillance, an undercover officer met her at her motel room, they said.
Once a deal for sexual acts was arranged, officers took her into custody.
Austin had been charged with prostitution in South Carolina recently, too, police said.
By Christine Dempsey, Hartford Courant