Prostitution In Evansville - Part 1

Youve seen the stories countless times. Police arrest a woman for prostitution after an undercover sting. What happens to these women once theyre back out of jail? We take a closer look at a dangerous way of life, and what drives women to take the risks of working the street. Its a brisk night on riverside drive, and if you know where to look there are deals going down. Between desperate men and women.They arent faceless, nameless people, but each one has made a choice that put them on a course for the streets. How did they get here? Different women, different stories, but a frightening similarity. A personal tragedy that drove them, ultimately, to prostitution. Melissa Lokey was working on her college degree, and on being a mom to two young boys. She grew up the shy, quiet girl. Her marriage and family *were* her world. That world fell to pieces one day, when she discovered her husband and kids gone. They left without even a note saying goodbye. "When he was gone... It was just in shock..." Donita Cooper grew up fast, in an abusive home, and in prison. She sold drugs o make ends meet, and tried the best way she knew to be a good mom to her 9 month old baby girl. When child protective services took her child, it set Cooper on a course towards self destruction. For Donita and Melissa, their misery led them to seek comfort in crack cocaine. As both women would soon discover, the leap from drugs to prostitution, is a short one. Both were spending several hundred dollars a day on crack. And very quickly, the need for drug money made the otherwise outrageous proposition of selling sex seem logical. For Melissa it was a bit easier to rationalize. The shy teenager felt like she was doing much more than selling sex, she was making friends. Eventually, that need for drug money caught up with both Donita and Melissa, and they wound up in jail with nothing but sobriety and time to reflect on where their lives have taken them. Is there redemption after living a life of crack and prostitution? It may be the most painful lesson these women have ever learned, but now, they both say they are focused on the future, and feel it *has* to be bette than where theyve been