Crime & Safety

Philly Man Pimped 16-Year-Old Girl at Route 1 Hotels, Police Say

Police say the Philadelphia man placed online ads to prostitute an underage girl.

Bensalem officers arrested a Philadelphia man at the police department headquarters on Thursday after he arrived to pick up a 16-year-old-girl who police found at a nearby motel Wednesday night.

Jabbar Wells, 32, has been charged on three felony counts of prostitution of a minor and one misdemeanor of corruption of a minor after police say he rented motel rooms along Route 1 and arranged sexual encounters with the underage girl.

According to the affidavit, officers were alerted at approximately 8:30 p.m. Wednesday that a missing girl from Philadelphia was in a room at the Knights Inn Motel. Police confirmed that the girl was on the missing person's list. She told police that Wells had been renting rooms for the past three days at motels along Route 1 so she could prostitute herself.

According to court documents, the girl told police that Wells placed an online ad with photographs and prices for sexual acts. Police say Wells texted with clients and negotiated pricing, locations and acts. At the end of a session, Wells entered the room to collect the money, keeping the money for himself, police say.

Wells has been remanded to Bucks County prison in lieu of a 10 percent payment of $100,000 bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 25 at 2 p.m. before District Judge Joseph Falcone.


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