RIPLEY, Okla. – The top official at a Ripley, Oklahoma, school and a former school employee were caught up in a prostitution crime sting last week, authorities say.
Ripley Public Schools Superintendent Kenneth Beams is accused of soliciting prostitution, and Kacey Lee Williamson, a former teacher, faces charges of racketeering, procuring for prostitution, accessing the internet with unlawful intent, conspiracy to commit felony and proceeds from violation of a state statute.
The two were arrested in “Operation Velvet Fury,” a joint effort between Tulsa and Broken Arrow police, and booked at the Tulsa County Jail.
State leaders said they made several arrests connected to an organized crime ring related to the illicit sex industry. Officials say Beam and Williamson were involved with a network of illegal massage parlors that used websites like Reddit and Discord to carry out transactions, according to the Tulsa World.
Court documents obtained by the paper say Williamson was a former sixth-grade teacher at Ripley Public Schools.
Along with Williamson, police also arrested six other people accused of running the illicit businesses – Teresa Adams, Thomas Johnson, Ravi Chandra Kakaraparthi, Meri Peterson, Kara Rodriguez and Elizabeth Wyers.
“These arrests have delivered a decisive blow to the illicit sex industry in our state,” Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter said. “We must do everything we can to eliminate this threat to our society. Human trafficking, drug smuggling, robbery, and sexual assault are only a handful of the horrific crimes bred out of these criminal networks. Thanks to the efforts from our law enforcement partners serving on this task force, we are winning the war against these evil individuals.”
