Fresno man who forced women into sex work in Paso Robles gets 10 years in prison

A Fresno man who trafficked women for sex work in Paso Robles and several California counties was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Monday.

Walter Thomas Jr. pleaded no-contest to one count of human trafficking, one count of pimping and one count of witness intimidation — all felonies, according to a San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office news release.

Thomas was sentenced to 10 years, four months in state prison.

Prosecution was a result of a joint investigation with the Paso Robles and Atascadero police departments and the District Attorney’s Office, according to the release.

In January, the Paso Robles Police Department said Thomas, 44, was wanted on suspicion of human trafficking after an investigation into alleged prostitution at a local hotel led detectives to believe two women were being forced into sex work.

The women had connections to San Luis Obispo County but were not residents. They were traveling to hotels around California, according to Cmdr. Ty Lewis, and Thomas was acting as their pimp.

According to the release, a Jane Doe revealed to police she had worked for Thomas for several years and was trafficked in Fresno, Sacramento, Merced, Madera, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. She was also branded with a "W," signifying Thomas' professed ownership of her.

Thomas was arrested in Grundy County, Illinois, and extradited back to San Luis Obispo County for prosecution.

This story was originally published May 1, 2018 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Fresno man who forced women into sex work in Paso Robles gets 10 years in prison."