Corrie Gillispie
A witness testified on Thursday that Chattanooga pimp Corrie Gillispie also ran an operation out of a storefront at a strip mall in Fort Oglethorpe.
Gillispie is standing trial in the courtroom of Federal Judge Travis McDonough on 10 charges, including kidnapping and sex trafficking. Gillispie is refusing to cooperate with his court-appointed attorney and is spending most of the time out of the courtroom.
Capt. Steve Blevins of the Fort Oglethorpe Police Department said complaints began to come in about constant traffic at the business space at 2136 LaFayette Road. He said it was about an eighth of a mile from the intersection of Highway 27 and Battlefield Parkway.
The witness said officers went to the location on Sept. 29, 2015, and found all the windows and doors covered with black cloth. "It looked like a closed business," he said.
Capt. Blevins said when officers went inside "it looked like a place where someone was living." He said there was a home-made stage at one corner with mirrors behind it and a microphone.
Police found a number of bottles of alcohol inside the business along with a margarita mixer.
They also found a sheet of writing titled "My Rules" as well as business cards showing scantily-clad women along with some numbers to call. One of the cards said Love or Money. Another said Love and Money.
Capt. Blevins said there was no business license for the location.
He said officers spotted a woman who appeared to be mad walking from the location toward Chattanooga while carrying a purse. She ran when officers approached her.
She was identified as the same Gillispie prostitute who testified earlier and told of being attacked by Gillispie and jumping out of a car before finding haven at the Chattanooga Choo Choo.
A TBI special agent who is over human trafficking investigations for 25 counties in East Tennessee said a sex sting operation was set up at 250 Forest Ave. in North Chattanooga.
He said two women showed up who were working for Gillispie as prostitutes. The jury was shown a video of two undercover officers chatting with the women, then other officers coming in to arrest them. One of the women had 10 cell phones in her purse.
The agent said he also had contact with two other Gillispie prostitutes. He said all four were offered social services. He said one or two showed interest in the offer, but others were not interested.
A retired FBI agent told of working with a young prostitute who agreed to be wired for a meeting with Gillispie at Coolidge Park. She said the girl, who was paid for working with the government, was wired with both audio and video equipment.
She said she and other agents were nearby watching the couple and listening in as they sat on a bench by the Tennessee River. When the girl indicated she wanted to be a hooker for him, Gillispie said he could instruct her "what to do and what not to do" and take her shopping for outfits.
It was also testified that local law enforcement set up a sex sting at the Hampton Inn at Ooltewah. After calls were made to Backpage.com escort ads, a prostitute from Gillispie's stable showed up.
This was the same woman from the Choo Choo and the Fort Oglethorpe site. She showed an officer a bruise on her arm and swelling around her mouth.
Officers said Gillispie brought the woman, who had a tattooed image of him on her neck, to the location. He was questioned after his vehicle was stopped outside the hotel.
Prosecutor Jay Woods earlier told the jury they would hear from four of Gillispie's prostitutes. On Thursday, he said one had failed to show up to testify, and agents were trying to track her down.