OAKLAND — A 22-year-old Ukiah man allegedly held a woman against her will to force her to have sex with strangers for money, after meeting her on Instagram, according to court records.
Alexander Barger was charged with false imprisonment, human trafficking, pandering, robbery and domestic violence. Police say that on Feb. 17, the woman was reported missing by her mother, who told authorities her daughter was being held hostage at the Nights Inn Motel on the 800 block of West MacArthur Boulevard.
Police located Barger and the woman, but not without a little bump in the road. When officers arrived, Barger jumped from the motel’s second story in a failed attempt to get away, investigators said in court records. He was booked into Santa Rita Jail in Dublin and remains there, with no bail amount listed, records show.
Barger has pleaded not guilty. His next court date has been set for March 3. The criminal complaint says he has two prior convictions, for failing to appear in court and threatening someone, both in Mendocino County.
The woman told police that after meeting Barger online, they had an in-person rendezvous. The day after Valentine’s Day, he informed her she was going to be making him money as a sex worker, she reportedly told authorities.
She said he brought her to International Boulevard in Oakland, an area known for open-air prostitution and violence, and ended up taking $80 from her after one day out there. Then they went to the hotel, and he allegedly refused to let her leave, according to authorities.