EDGEWOOD, Md. — “The Mistress," as its called along Pulaski Highway in Edgewood, provides adult novelties and entertainment.
But when a young girl entered the business with her grandfather back in April, it provided an employee with the fodder for a tale of sex trafficking with as many as 15 men.
MORE: Sheriff: US Senate candidate falsely reported child sex trafficking in Harford Co.
“It really upset people, because people hear the story and anyone would be so moved, so hurt, so angry if the allegations had any foundation in truth,” said Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler. “Sadly, they sold the narrative, they upset the people, they go down and protest the business.”
Investigators reviewed surveillance video from the business and discovered a man had come into the business with his granddaughter to use the ATM, but she never left his side, and it turns out, the so-called whistle blower wasn’t what he appeared to be either.
The owner of the business said an employee, Ryan Dark White, was about to be fired when he made up the sex trafficking tale, and his alias is Dr. Jon McGreevey.
That’s right.
That's the same Jon McGreevey who is running on the ballot here in Maryland for the U.S. Senate.
It’s estimated the investigation into the bogus report cost the Harford County Sheriff’s Office tens of thousands of dollars in lost manpower.
It also diverted resources and attention away from policing elsewhere in the county as a disgruntled employee spoke of trying to help a child sex victim, yet failed to report it for another 48 hours.
“Any normal person had they really seen something like that would pick up the phone and dial 911 and call the police,” said Gahler. “No. He took two days to tell someone else. They sent an email to the wrong police department---Howard County, which was forwarded to us. So that’s how this investigation started.”
Efforts to reach White for comment were not answered.
