Editor's Note: Court documents obtained by CP24 indicate Christopher Edward Spencer was acquitted of the charges indicated below on June 1, 2018. As a result, his image has also been removed from the article.
A Mississauga man is facing nearly a dozen charges in connection with a human tracking investigation involving a 19-year-old woman.
The charges stem from a series of incidents that allegedly took place over a week-long period earlier this month.
According to police, it started on May 12 after a man gave the victim the keys to his vehicle after meeting her at the Pure Gold strip club in Mississauga.
The following morning, after she picked him up, the man instructed the victim to drive him to Hamilton so he could meet up with friends.
Once in Hamilton, the man took photos of the victim in “certain degrees of undress” after registering her into a hotel room.
The photos were subsequently posted on Backpages.com advertising for sexual services.
Police allege that over a two-day period, the man forced the victim to have sex with a number of clients and then turn the money over to him.
On May 15, the victim was able to escape and return to Toronto.
A number of text and voice messages were left by the man demanding to know her whereabouts, police said.
On May 19, after locating the victim, the man allegedly demanded she pay him a $5,000 “buyout” fee for leaving him.
She was driven to a bank, where she was able to contact police, triggering the start of their investigation.
A suspect was located and charged on May 19. He appeared in court Friday.
Investigators believe there may be more victims.
Christopher Edward Spencer faces 11 charges, including forcible confinement, trafficking in persons by recruiting, kidnapping for ransom, and assault.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7474 or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477).
