Monroe police charge seven in prostitution sting

Monroe - Monroe Village Police arrested five women and two men on Sept. 1 in connection with operating an online service that sent women to the Monroe area who then offered sex for money. “Over the last few months our department has received several complaints of suspicious activity that were determined to be people waiting for or using escorts that were found using online services,” Det. James Frankild said in describing the case. The department, along with the Hudson Valley Community Narcotics Enforcement Team which is made up of undercover officers from the sheriff’s office and state police, set up a location and contacted escorts from the online services that were sending the women to the Monroe area. Frankild said that over the course of six hours, five women arrived at the designated location and offered sex for money. They were charged with prostitution, a misdemeanor. Arrested were: Stacy Valure, 23, who listed addresses in Warwick and the Town of Woodbury; Chelsea Turcotte, 18, of Moosup, Conn.; Alexandra Hackett, 23, of Newburgh; Shashonda McCrae, 26, of Newburgh; and Stacy Rossman, 32, of Newburgh. In addition, two men who brought the women to Monroe were arrested. Paul Monteiro, 25, of Providence, R.I., was charged with third-degree promoting prostitution, a felony, and fourth-degree promoting prostitution, a misdemeanor. Alexander Adams, 54, of Newburgh, was charged with fourth-degree promoting prostitution, a misdemeanor. They were released to appear in village court on Sept. 22. Frankild declined to identify the location where the arrests were made because it may be useful in future investigations.