Chrishanna Kenya Dinkins, 20 of Waldorf, was sentenced to four years and six months in jail by Charles County Circuit Court Judge Amy J. Bragunier Aug. 3 for human trafficking and profiting from prostitution involving teenage women.

According to charging documents, Dinkins was arrested Feb. 13, 2014 at the Comfort Suite in Waldorf after Det. Y.J. Austin of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division was monitoring online social networks as part of an undercover operation when he noticed an ad for a young woman claiming to be 20 offering sex in Waldorf.

Austin reviewed the photographs in the advertisement and recognized the subject from a previous investigation and knew that she was 17 years old.

He initiated a text message conversation with the subject and determined through the text messaging the location to have an encounter with a coded price and instructions.
Austin enlisted Detective Gregory to continue texting the subject and through the communication was able to obtain a room number.

Gregory knocked on the door and was greeted by the teenager before officers entered the room and found Dinkins and a subject identified as Jonathan Gaines in the bathroom.

Austin then entered the hotel room and rang the number from the advertisement. A Samsung phone rang on the dresser counter which Dinkins identified as her phone. All three were arrested.

When Dinkins appeared in court Aug. 3 she was told she was wanted on a bench warrant from a District Court case as well, which Bragunier recalled.

Charles County Assistant State’s Attorney Kathy Bakhtiary told the court that Dinkins was pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit human traffic and because of her arrest was facing a violation of parole which brought with it 90 days of backup time.

Telling Dinkins that the court could impose a sentence of up to 25 years, Bragunier handed down the sentence of four years and six months and told Dinkins that upon her release she would be required to register as a sex offender in Maryland.

Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com