A 30-year-old man who arranged for a session with a masseuse got robbed and temporarily held captive in a hotel room, South Portland police said.
The man was able to get away after a few minutes and call police, who arrested three people – all from outside Maine – on charges of robbery and criminal restraint.
Police charged Lauryn Ebanks, 28, of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, Brandon Jamieson, 28, of Los Angeles and Tiffany Ruiz, 24, of Brooklyn, New York. Ebanks also was charged with failing to give police the correct name and address. Their genders were not immediately clear.
Police also confiscated a small amount of marijuana.
The three were arrested at 100 Southborough Drive in South Portland, the address of Courtyard Portland Airport hotel, though police did not identify the hotel in describing the arrest.
The victim told police he had made arrangements through backpage.com to meet a transgender female at the hotel for a massage.
Backpage.com is an online classified and personals site which is frequently used by prostitutes to connect with clients, according to authorities. It has a section for Maine transsexual escorts.
When the man arrived, he was met instead by three people who assaulted him and took more than $100 and other personal belongings, police said. They also temporarily prevented him from leaving the room, police said.
He was eventually able to leave and call police.
The three suspects are being held at Cumberland County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail. They are to be arraigned Wednesday.
David Hench can be contacted at 791-6327 or at:
Twitter: @Mainehenchman
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