WAUKESHA, Wis. — A business executive who worked in the area and two other people have been charged with child trafficking in Waukesha and Milwaukee counties.
According to a Waukesha County criminal complaint, 50-year-old Chris Knuth of De Pere faces charges including trafficking of a child, sexual assault of a child, and child enticement.
Knuth told police he comes to Waukesha almost every Monday and Tuesday and stays at the Comfort Inn, according to the complaint.
Police said they interviewed a 13-year-old girl, a runaway, who told them she went to his hotel room on Dec. 4 with a woman. There, he offered the two drugs, paid for sex with the woman, and then touched the 13-year-old sexually, according to the girl's interview with police.
Police said Knuth claimed he didn't know her age or touch her in that way.
Knuth had been CEO at Profile Finishing Systems, a metal finishing company with a location in Waukesha.
Following his charging, the company released this statement through a spokesperson:
“Chris Knuth is no longer associated with our company. We are aware of the very serious charges in his case and believe that the court system is the proper place for resolution of this matter.”
According to court records, Knuth posted bond for $50,000 days after his arrest.
25-year-old Ebony Huff and 29-year-old Keith Mays of Milwaukee also face multiple charges, according to separate complaints filed in Milwaukee County.
According to investigators, Mays approached the 13-year-old girl and another teenage minor at a gas station in Milwaukee after they ran away from their group home.
Mays offered them a chance to make money for sex, according to the victim's statement, and they went back to a hotel with him. The 13-year-old, according to the complaint, then went on two "prostitution dates" with Huff, including a visit to Knuth's hotel.
According to the statement, Mays also took photos of the victim nude and uploaded them online as an advertisement.
Huff faces two counts of child enticement (prostitution) and two counts of child trafficking, while Mays faces the same charges and an additional count of sexual assault of a child.
Mays admitted to investigators he took nude photos of the victim and asked her to perform oral sex on him, according to the complaint. But he also claimed he believed the girls were 18.
Huff also said she believed the girls were 18, according to police investigators.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
