Misty George, 30, and her boyfriend Michael Welch, 38, were arrested Tuesday after it was found she was keeping a mentally and physically disabled woman in their shed, advertising her for sex online.
As reported by the New York Post, the 29 year-old woman was kept locked in the shed outside their home in Macomb Township, Detroit where they lived with their four-year-old daughter.
She was not allowed to even use the Couple’s bathroom in their mobile home a few feet away. Not only did the couple sell her for sex, however, as they also took her social security money.
Abusive cruelty to a special-needs person
Prosecutor Eric Smith said in court that instead of helping a “profoundly special-needs person,” George and Welch rather took her money and forced her to live in the shed, selling her as a prostitute. He said while it breaks your heart for the vulnerable woman, it is also shocking to see the abusive cruelty one person is capable to showing to another.
According to the county sheriff’s office, George and Welch were both charged with prostitution, human trafficking and ford labor, while George was also charged for using a computer to commit a crime.
George is behind bars on a $50,000 bond, while Welch is held on a bond of $100,000 after he tried to escape from authorities when being placed in a sheriff’s vehicle after the arraignment.
Woman initially stayed in the couple's home
The sheriff’s office said the couple had initially allowed the disabled woman to stay with them in their mobile home. However, they eventually moved her into the shed when she couldn’t afford to pay them rent. George and Welch then placed adverts for the victim on a website and several men reportedly responded, paying the couple money for sex with the victim.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Renee Yax said the victim’s family members had found out about her situation and had contacted authorities on September 12.
Yax went on to say the incident covered a period of at least two months, including the time the victim spent inside the home. The couple and the victim knew each other from high school.
Neighbors had no idea the woman was there
As reported by the Detroit Free Press, when neighbors were interviewed, no one had any idea the woman was being held prisoner in the couple’s shed. 41-year-old Colleen Budzynski lives directly across the street from George and Welch and said she doesn’t understand it. She said she feels like she “fell for something,” but also feels guilty that she didn’t see what was going on.
Kim Farrar wasn’t totally surprised. She said she used to live next door to the couple, but recently moved to another mobile home in the area.
She said George had told her they made the victim sleep in the shed on one occasion to “teach her a lesson.” However she added that she didn’t take it seriously, thinking George was just rambling, going on to describe the couple as being “very odd.” Farrar said George told her around two weeks before that the victim no longer lived with them.
Marquita Ferguson lives next door to the couple and said they were welcoming when she first moved in during August and that Welch had mowed their lawn. The couple even took them out for dinner. She had no idea a third person was involved.