Police served a search warrant at a local massage business after an employee was accused of offering to perform a sexual act in exchange for money from an undercover law enforcement officer.
The search warrant was served 11 a.m. Wednesday at Sunflower Massage, 3974 25th St., by Columbus police, assisted by the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI, said Lt. Matt Harris, Columbus Police Department spokesman.
Columbus Code Enforcement closed down the business with an emergency action order Wednesday because it didn’t have a valid operating permit from the city, Harris said.
The warrant service was done as a result of tips from the public about alleged prostitution occurring at the business, Harris said.
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The business, formerly known as Blue Bay Health Spa and Massage, opened in February 2017 and did not apply for a new permit with the city after the name was changed along with the ownership in December 2017, according to city records.
Two people were taken to the police department for questioning Wednesday, but no one was immediately arrested, Harris said.
It was the first major investigation into alleged prostitution activity at local spas since 2011, when three women and one man were accused of operating a pair of spas in Columbus that provided sexual favors, court records state.
The case led to the passage of a tougher city ordinance in 2012 about massage parlors, city officials said earlier.
All four in the 2011 case entered plea-bargain agreements that allowed them to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax evasion, while dismissing charges of corrupt business influence and three counts of failure to send in sales taxes, court records state.
