Baltimore Co. Police: Couple Held Teen Girl As Sex Slave

PARKVILLE, Md. (WJZ) -- Baltimore County police call it a heinous crime. A couple is behind bars, charged with forcing a 15-year-old girl to act as their personal sex slave.

Gigi Barnett explains the couple distributed child pornography online to lure other victims.

Homeowners on Wendell Avenue in Parkville describe their neighborhood as a place for families, but police say between July and November last year, one couple hid a 15-year-old sex slave.

"This is a particularly heinous crime that involves a couple deliberately recruiting a 15-year-old girl for the purposes of using her for a sex slave," said Elise Armacost, Baltimore County Police.

Detectives say John Blaes, 48, and Margaret Jones, 36, met the teen on a singles website and chatted for a few months. When they learned that she was in North Carolina, they drove to that state, picked the girl up and brought her back to Wendell Avenue.

"Our investigation in Baltimore County showed that they had sex with her multiple times a week, they videotaped and photographed her while having sex and they distributed those images on the Internet," Armacost said.

Police say Blaes and Jones--who were heavily into bondage and masochism--wanted to use the photos to recruit more women to join in. Police say they were tipped off when the girl's mother called and reported her daughter a runaway who was being abused by the couple.

Neighbors say they never knew what was happening in the house down the street.

"It's terrible," said Paul Green.

Back in November, police obtained a search warrant for the house. On the computer were various pictures of the teen girl in various states of undress and bondage.

They face several charges, including production and distribution of child pornography.

According to police reports, the couple told detectives that they fed, clothed and took care of the girl like parents during the time she lived with them.