TACOMA, Wash. - A sergeant at Joint Base Lewis-McChord has pleaded guilty to pimping two teenage girls, who allegedly traded sex for money under his direction and control.

Sgt. Sterling Terrance Hospedales, 27, is charged with two counts of first-degree promoting prostitution. As part of a plea deal, the prosecution will advocate a sentence of 10-15 years in jail, although the presiding judge at Hospedales sentencing on Oct. 25 has the option to impose a sentence anywhere from 10 years to life in prison.

Last year, the two girls, ages 16 and 17, came to the attention of officers on the Innocence Lost Task Force, a federal organization that focuses on juveniles involved in prostitution cases.

Officers found the girls advertising prostitution services on the Craigslist website. Records also showed that the girls were listed as missing persons.

Undercover officers made a "date" with one of the girls to locate them. She confirmed that she charged $100 for a half-hour session and $150 for an hour.

When the girl was contacted by officers at a local McDonald's restaurant, the second girl was with her. Both were detained and questioned.

The two told officers that Hospedales was their pimp, and that he took naked pictures of them and posted them on the Internet. They also said that Hospedales had flown one of the girls to Seattle from Wyoming, charging papers say.

According to court documents, the two girls lived with Hospedales in his Lakewood apartment, and had the girls do "dates" on an air mattress in the living room of his apartment.

Officers served a search warrant on the apartment and found the air mattress, as well as condoms, lubricant, handcuffs, and wipes, just like the girls had described.

The girls reported that Hospedales took any money that they earned and put it in a safe or in a drawer in his bedroom, according to court documents. The girls reported that Hospedales knew they were under 18 years old.

When officers looked through the girls' cell phones, there were several threatening messages from Hospedales demanding to know where they
were and what they were doing, charging papers said.

And when officers went to the apartment, they saw Hospedales leaving his apartment and heading for his car. He was taken into custody.

When arrested, Hospedales was carrying an envelope with $882 and a birth certificate belonging to one of the girls, according to court papers.

Hospedales was an infantryman assigned to the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team. The Florida native joined the Army and has been stationed at JBLM since March 2005, according to the Tacoma News Tribune.

He will have to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison, and the Army in the process of dishonorably discharging Hospedales from the military.

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