After a nine-month investigation, Bristol police and state troopers detained two men who they said trafficked individuals at a spa and promoted prostitution. Vincent Whiteley, 64, of Meriden, and David Henderson, 63, of Southington, have been charged with conspiracy to commit human trafficking and conspiracy to promote prostitution in the second degree, police said Thursday. Henderson has also been charged with human trafficking and enabling prostitution, according to reports.
The men are co-owners/managers of the business, which is billed as a “men’s relaxation spa,” according to Lt. Geoffrey Lund, a spokeswoman for the Bristol Police Department.
Each man was being held at the Bristol Authorities Department on a $250,000 bond, according to authorities.
The arrests, which occurred on Wednesday at Aqua After Dark on Farmington Avenue, were made by the Bristol Police Department’s Narcotics Enforcement Team and the Connecticut State Police’s Statewide Organized Crime Investigative Task Force.
According to a news release produced by Detective Sgt. Vllaznim Sadriu of the Bristol authorities Criminal Investigation Division, authorities began investigating the firm at the beginning of the year after receiving “numerous complaints” about it.
“During January 2024, the Bristol Police Department received numerous complaints that a business by the name of ‘Aqua After Dark’ located at 1235 Farmington Avenue in Bristol was running a suspected prostitution operation,” according to Sadrio.
Bristol police commended the community and the state police organized crime task force for their assistance in the investigation and encouraged anyone with information about such criminal operations to come forward.
“Bristol Police Department is determined to combat illegal prostitution operations within the City of Bristol and the public is encouraged to contact us with any information related to this,” according to Sadriu.