By Alexandra Quilici
Monday afternoon in Department 13, Judge Paul K. Richardson concluded there was enough evidence to move forward in charging Joshua Christie, who is accused of pimping and pandering.
Mr. Christie was dating a woman who had been repeatedly committing acts of prostitution. Mr. Christie would drop the woman off at different locations. Allegedly, together, they were using the earned money for rent, and, when Mr. Christie was brought in for questioning he admitted that “we are just trying to get some rent money.”
Because Mr. Christie drove the woman to the different spots, the People deem it justifiable to assume he intended to influence the woman in prostitution.
The defense argued that there were five people who lived in the residence for which they were trying to gather rent, and Mr. Christie held no financial responsibility or attachment for any of them.
The defense also argued that Mr. Christie was boxing and cutting trees for work, whereas the People found him to be unemployed with no source of income. There was reason to believe that the woman was the main breadwinner for the household, with Mr. Christie not making any financial decisions.
After examining the evidence and listening to the statements, Judge Richardson said it was clear that the woman would arrive at different places for the clear purpose of prostitution, and Mr. 
Christie did indeed drive her there.
There were texts that read, “I got another one daddy. It’s only $50,” which the judge interpreted as relating to prostitution.
There were no witnesses brought forward for this preliminary hearing.
Mr. Christie is charged with two counts. Count 1 is pandering because he drove the woman to a spot where he knew prostitution activities would take place. Count 2 is prostitution because, as he had no income, the street activity was providing his main source of income.
Moving forward, Christie’s next hearing is August 14 at 10:00am.
