A 38-year-old Colorado Department of Corrections employee was arrested earlier this week and is facing charges for attempted pimping, according to the Denver Police Department (DPD).
Joshua Hensley, who worked at the the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility, was arrested July 3 for investigation of two counts of attempted pimping and investigation of patronizing a prostitute, DPD said.
In April, DPD's human trafficking unit launched an in-depth investigation after receiving information that accused Hensley of attempting to pimp women.
According to an arrest affidavit, a woman was staying at a hotel in Lakewood in March when a customer, later identified as Hensley, arranged to come to her room and "paid $40 for oral sex, even though he had earlier agreed to pay $60."
After that, according to the affidavit, Hensley continued to communicate with the woman and indicated that he wanted her to work for him "in a sense that he wanted to be her pimp."
According to the affidavit, the woman told police Hensley stated she needed to "post on a specific website, and told her that she needed to call him 'Daddy,' and that she needed to make money for him."
The woman told police she ended up getting "very irritated and scared of Hensley," and that she told him to leave her alone on multiple occasions, the affidavit says.
Hensley's phone records show he attempted to contact numerous other women on multiple occasions with the intentions of meeting them for acts of prostitution, and also to coerce them into working for him, with him being their pimp, police said.
According to the affidavit, at least one of the victims had been intimate with Hensley. DPD is concerned that there may be additional victims who have not yet come forward. Hensley had been employed at the facility since 2012.
“The Denver Police Department is committed to holding accountable anyone who seeks to profit by exploiting vulnerable members of our community,” Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said. “I commend the courageous witness who initiated this investigation and the tenacity of DPD Human Trafficking Unit investigators who continue striving for justice for victims in this case.”
Anyone who may have been victimized by Hensley or has information relevant to the investigation is encouraged to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.
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