9 Charged in San Bernardino Prostitute Ring

Five people, including the former campaign manager of San Bernardino County Sheriff Floyd Tidwell, were arrested Friday on charges of operating a prostitution ring.

Three others charged in the case “apparently are attempting to avoid apprehension” while a fourth, Herschel Jennings, 40, of La Verne is trying through his attorney to negotiate surrender terms with the district attorney, Sheriff’s Capt. Phil Schuyler said.

The most prominent of those arrested Friday was Garry Brown, 35, of Victorville, who managed Tidwell’s election campaign in 1982 and was a member of the volunteer San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Council.

32 Charges Filed

Thirty-two prostitution-related charges, including pimping, pandering and conspiracy, were filed against the nine people Thursday in Municipal Court.

Brown surrendered to authorities, Schuyler said.

Others arrested, Schuyler said, were Jennings’ wife, Kay, and Mary Alice Austin, Kimberly (Candy) Dullen and Jeri Lynn Johnson, who were described as employees of massage parlors operated by Jennings in the communities of Adelanto, Bloomington and Pomona.

Remaining at large are James Price, 35, of Apple Valley, another former member of the sheriff’s council; Jennings and his son, Douglas, and Carmen Marie Drake, identified as a massage parlor employee.

In court affidavits, Price and Brown are quoted as saying that they helped Jennings set up a prostitution business in Adelanto last summer.

Price said he built the building, Jennings put up the money and Brown arranged to take care of building permits and other administrative matters.

Prominent Citizens in Council

The 28-member sheriff’s council of which Price and Brown were members is made up of prominent citizens, including cowboy star Roy Rogers. It is designed to promote law enforcement and support the sheriff both politically and financially by donating money to various departments for special projects.

Tidwell described Brown and Price as personal friends, adding, “If they’re criminally responsible, then it makes me sick.”

Price and Brown were stripped of their honorary badges in the sheriff’s council when they were implicated in the prostitution case.

Tidwell said the prostitution investigation was unrelated to a recent investigation of sexual misconduct in the sheriff’s Victorville substation.

Five former San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies and a Victorville man were charged in March with raping an 18-year-old Explorer volunteer.