Hawley announces number of Springfield massage parlors barred from prostitution activities

In Springfield, a Green County Judge gave a verbal order granting a preliminary injunction barring six massage parlors from engaging in prostitution activities, Attorney General Josh Hawley announced on Wednesday.

During the hearing on Friday, eight law enforcement officers testified and presented evidence gathered during raids in July.

“This order sends a clear message: Human trafficking and those who engage in this crime have no place in Missouri,” Hawley said. “I promised to fight human trafficking, and that’s exactly what I am doing.”

In July, Hawley and attorneys from Green County brought a temporary restraining order against massage parlors that were raided as part of a major crackdown against suspected human trafficking.