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Prostitute suspect may be in China, promises to return

Dennis WebbPost Independent Staff

A woman arrested on prostitution charges in Glenwood Springs planned to go to China between her court dates, her defense attorney said Thursday.Qing Zhang, owner of the Asian Day Spa at 718 Cooper Ave. in Glenwood, will return before her next court date, which is scheduled for Nov. 30, attorney Peter Rachesky said.She is free on $2,000 bond.”Whether she’s actually in China or not I don’t know,” Rachesky said.Deputy district attorney Katie Steers didn’t object to Zhang’s travel plans when the matter came up in county court on Oct. 23.”I did not have any information that she ought to be a flight risk at that point,” Steers said Thursday.She also noted that Zhang had put up her own money to bond out of jail.”We’ll see what happens at the next court date,” she said.DA Martin Beeson said it “probably goes without saying” that prosecutors have some concern about whether Zhang might be trying to flee to China.Zhang faces charges of prostitution, unlawful sexual contact and keeping a place of prostitution, arising from an Oct. 5 undercover operation by police. All are misdemeanor charges.Rachesky said he doesn’t see why Zhang’s travel plans should be of concern. Short of incarceration, there’s no way to stop anyone from leaving the country, he said.He didn’t know why she wanted to return to China.Zhang was arrested on the same evening that an undercover operation also resulted in the arrest of Hui Jun Mu, an employee of A-1 Chinese Health Care Massage on Grand Avenue. Police say there were no initial indications that the two businesses were connected, or that the owner of the Grand Avenue business knew of Jun Mu’s actions. Jun Mu is free on $1,250 bond after being charged with prostitution and unlawful sexual contact. She is due in court Monday.Rachesky told Garfield County Court Judge Paul Metzger Thursday that Zhang is waiving her right to be formally advised of the charges against her.Prostitution arrests are rare in Glenwood Springs, enough so that city police consulted with other agencies on how to carry out the undercover operations that led to the arrests.Contact Dennis Webb: 384-9119dwebb@postindependent.com


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