Berkeley couple accused of flying teen girl from Texas to Oakland for sex trafficking

OAKLAND — A Berkeley man and woman who were already facing human trafficking charges are now accused of forcing a 17-year-old Texas girl into sex work by bringing her from Dallas to the Bay Area, court records show.

Chemon Parks, 23, and Kimora Ashby, 22, are now charged with trafficking a 23-year-old woman and a 17-year-old girl, as well as pandering and pimping, court records show. They’ve pleaded not guilty and are awaiting a preliminary hearing where a judge will review evidence and decide if there is enough to file charges.

Parks and Ashby are each being held in lieu of $275,000 bail and are next due in court on Dec. 5, records show. Ashby had been out of custody but prosecutors successfully moved to increase her bail Nov. 8.

The new allegations were discovered after Parks and Ashby were arrested in early August on suspicion of trafficking the woman who accused Parks of assaulting her last May. She implicated both suspects in an interview at a local hospital, leading to their arrest on Aug. 9.

But when police looked at Parks and Ashby’s phones, they saw pictures of a girl, and eventually identified her as a 17-year-old who had run away from home in Texas. Records confirmed they’d gone to Texas, picked her up, and flown her back to the Bay Area from Dallas, according to investigators.

Investigators found evidence the couple placed prostitution ads using the girls photos and booked hotel rooms for her. The girl alleged that Parks and Ashby hit her when she said she wanted to stop sex work but she was able to escape, police said.