An Eastside 911 dispatcher is the latest to be charged with a sex crime in relation to a busted sex-trafficking ring.
King County prosecutors on March 18 charged 49-year-old Phillip “Skip” DeHennis, a 911 call receiver and radio dispatcher for NORCOM in Bellevue, with promoting prostitution in the second degree. DeHennis’ bail was set at $75,000.
That crime is a Class C felony and carries with it a maximum of five years in jail and a $10,000 fine.
In January, a joint task force of law enforcement officers cracked down on a sex-trafficking ring based in Bellevue and Seattle that exploited women — primarily South Korean and other Asian women transported to the United States for the sole purpose of sex trafficking — and wrote reviews on a website called The Review Board. That website was seized by law enforcement officials and is no longer active.
DeHennis was allegedly a member of The Review Board, according to King County Superior Court charging documents.
“The defendant also purchased sex with an unknown number of women, and then wrote lengthy and graphic reviews of the prostituted women on the websites,” the court documents continue. “The defendant’s actions — advancing the prostitution of women and encouraging others to do the same — in concert with his accomplices on the websites, directly expanded and increased the market for exploited women in the region.”
According to NORCOM, DeHennis has worked at the Eastside call center since 2010 after years of volunteer search and rescue experience in Idaho. NORCOM Executive Director Tom Orr said DeHennis is currently on administrative leave pending the outcome of the charges.
“While we are saddened by these allegations, I can assure citizens that this has zero impact on our 911 emergency call center,” Orr said in a media statement. “Additionally, we applaud the King County joint task force, which includes the King County Sheriff’s Office and the Bellevue Police Department, in their persistent and ongoing efforts to thwart sex trafficking and we will cooperate fully with the investigation.”
According to the Bellevue Police Department, in emails DeHennis allegedly sent, he described the stress of his job and how “I do enjoy my massage sessions when I can get them!”
Numerous brothels set up in the country transfer women from location to location to keep ahead of law enforcement and keep a steady influx of new prostitutes for clients.
DeHennis’ position as a 911 call receiver placed him in a unique situation, according to court documents.
“The defendant was closely tied to law enforcement activities and should have been particularly committed to following the law,” said Daniel Satterburg, prosecuting attorney, in court documents. “Instead, he betrayed those principles by participating in criminal activity involving vulnerable and marginalized persons in the community.”
The investigation into the sex-trafficking ring is ongoing.
DeHennis’ arraignment hearing is set for March 31.
