VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Amanda Starr, 28, is facing serious charges - kidnapping, forcing someone into sexual servitude, and promoting prostitution.
After police arrested Starr and her boyfriend Christopher Stevenson in Virginia Beach Tuesday, Starr said she wants to tell her side of the story.
Starr's boyfriend, Christopher Stevenson, also told his side of the story to 13News Now.
“I think I’m still kind of in shock about the whole thing honestly,” said Starr. “It's, I don't know, it's just crazy because it's all a complete lie, so I don't even know where to begin.”
Starr said Stevenson and the victim, referred to in search warrants as MSK, were longtime friends. Starr said MSK told them her boyfriend abused her and that she had a drug problem, so Stevenson gave her a place to stay.
“In the meantime, me and my boyfriend are sitting facing 41 years for something we didn’t do? For trying to help somebody!” said Starr.
Starr said police called her over the weekend and notified her that MSK disappeared. Starr said she and Stevenson assumed she was on a drug binge and later discovered where she was located.
“Our thinking was, ‘Well we know where she’s at, why don’t we go get her and bring her to them [the police] so they can see she’s ok, but we can make sure she doesn’t have anything on her,’” said Starr.
Starr said police told her MSK accused the couple of posting sex ads and forcing MSK into prostitution.
“She was with us for like, I don’t know, three weeks or so it’s bizarre that she had been doing this the whole time and neither one of us had a clue about it,” said Starr.
Starr added that she just finished serving a six-year prison sentence for drug trafficking, and said she feels she is continuing to be targeted by police.
“Part of the point of going and doing time is you’ve done that time, you’ve rehabilitated,” said Starr. “They’re supposed to give you a second chance, they’re not supposed to target you on everything and that’s what’s happening.”
Court documents state law enforcement believes there was intent to force the victim into sexual servitude, so both Starr and Stevenson will remain in jail with no bond.
Both will be extradited back to North Carolina. If found guilty for the charges, they could each face up to 41 years in prison.
