ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. — Deputies in Rowan County have charged two men in an underage prostitution bust that spanned multiple cities.
The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office said on Feb. 8, deputies responded to a call about two runaway teen girls in the Rockwell area.
A day later, officers said they received a tip that the girls, ages 13 and 17, were at a business on Jake Alexander Boulevard.
Police were able to locate the 13-year-old and said that she led them to believe the 17-year-old had been transported from Rowan County to Kannapolis by an unknown man for the purposes of prostitution.
The sheriff’s office said a search for the suspect led deputies to a home on 11th Street in Salisbury where they set up surveillance.
A witness and suspect were identified, deputies said, and interviews confirmed the 17-year-old was at a hotel in Kannapolis to engage in prostitution. The Kannapolis Police Department and Rowan County deputies found her at the hotel and took two men into custody.
Police charged Xavier Alexander Rushing, 25, with promoting the prostitution of a minor.
Rushing has a criminal history dating back to 2020, deputies said, including charges of kidnapping and possessing a controlled substance in a prison/jail.
Officers said Rushing is being held in the Rowan County Detention Center without bond pending his first court appearance.
Bailey Tyler Richardson, 25, was also charged with promoting the prostitution of a minor.
Police said he has a criminal history dating back to 2016 that includes felony breaking and entering, felony larceny, and possession of cocaine.
Deputies said Richardson is being held in the Rowan County Detention Center.
His bond was set at $500,000.
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