2/13/2015 – Virginia — A couple out of Iowa have been arrested and criminally charged with the cross-country sex trafficking and torture of a woman for their financial gain after law enforcement was alerted by a vigilant truck driver.
According to a recently filed federal case, Aldair Hodza, 36, and Laura E. Sorensen, 31, abducted a 20-year-old woman in their home state of Iowa in Dec. of last year.
The victim, identified only a “J.B.”, was rescued after a trucker at a Pilot truck stop in New Kent County called police. The truck driver told 911 that he had observed a young adult woman who repeatedly was looking out the window of a tan-colored Sun Voyager R.V. parked near his rig and he feared she was in danger.
The truck driver, whose name was not included in court paperwork, was publicly identified as Kevin Kimmel in an article posted at IJReview.com.
Later the driver witnessed at least one male knock on the R.V.’s and then enter. A few minutes later and the R.V. was visibly “rocking and rolling … it was a no brainer what was going.”
Deputies with the New Kent County Sheriff’s Office responded to the truck stop and found J.B. to extremely frightened, malnourished, quiet with hunched shoulders. J.B. told responding officers that she had been deprived food and water for some time. Investigators say the young victim broke down in tears after being separated from Hodza and Sorensen and begged not to be retuned to the couple.
Hodza and Sorensen claimed they were on a cross-country trip to visit Hodza’s daughter.
The allegations against Hodza and Sorensen are documented in detail in a Feb. 9, federal criminal complaint.
J.B. told investigators that she met Hodza and Sorensen on Dec. 19 in Des Moines and that she was friends with Sorensen’s sister. J.B. claims she was lured into the R.V. after she was told Sorensen’s sister was inside – which she wasn’t.
J.B. said that Hodza and Sorensen gave her alcohol and drugs, had sex with her and refused to let her leave.
The couple told J.B. that she was going to work as a prostitute for them and that if she refused, fled or told police, that they would harm or kill her or her family.
Sorensen then used her cell phone to take photos of J.B. and post prostitution ads on Craigslist.com.
J.B. claims she was first forced to have sex with ‘Johns’ that responded to the online ads for prostitution while in Iowa. J.B. told investigators that Sorensen negotiated the price for sex and collected the money from the ‘Johns.’
All three began traveling to Virginia on Christmas Eve of last year. J.B. said she was repeatedly forced to prostitute herself so Hodza and Sorensen would have money for gas and food.
J.B. told investigators that she was tortured by the couple and sexually abused. J.B.’s claims were substantiated when health officials found numerous physical injuries that matched J.B.’s recounting of being burned all about her body and having nails driven through her feet.
Officials determined that Hodza and Sorensen would heat up a key on the R.V.’s stove and then push it into various part of her body; abdomen, back and groin. Upon search, keys were located by investigators that appeared discolored from extreme heat.
Health officials noted several puncture wounds on the tops of J.B.’s feet that were consistent with nails being hammered into them.
J.B. also had physical wounds inside her vaginal area that supported her claims of being raped with various objects, including a large flashlight.
When detectives searched the couple’s cell phones they found text messages related to J.B.’s prostitution, nude photos of J.B. and even photos where J.B. appeared restrained and gaged. Another photo appears to show someone spraying Clorox bleach onto an open and bleeding wound on J.B.’s body.
On Feb. 9, Hodza and Sorensen were charged in federal court with sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion.
JohnTV will continue to follow this case.