Man Charged With Kidnaping in Sex Slave Case

Charges were filed Tuesday against a man who allegedly held one woman as a drugged sexual slave in a North Hollywood motel room for three days and intimidated three other women into working as prostitutes, authorities said.

Robert Ford Prince, 43, of Burbank, was held in lieu of $30,000 bail pending arraignment today after his arrest on charges of kidnaping, false imprisonment, pimping, narcotics possession and forcible oral copulation, Los Angeles Police Lt. Al Corella said.

One of his alleged victims was a 21-year-old woman guest who was kidnaped at knifepoint Saturday from a parking lot at the Peppertree Motel on Lankershim Boulevard and forced into her assailant’s room.

The knife-wielding man demanded she smoke rock cocaine, which she did out of fear for her safety. Then he told her she had to work as a prostitute to repay the cost of the drug, Corella said.

She did not act as a prostitute, but he forced her to submit to several sexual assaults over the next few days, the lieutenant said. She was afraid to leave because the man was armed and because he had taken her identification and knew where she lived.

Another alleged victim, a 26-year-old woman, had tried to buy cocaine from the man two weeks ago and was also forced by physical threats into working as a prostitute, Corella said. Police were looking for two other women they believe were also forced into prostitution.