Teen Madam Uses Craigslist to Sell Sex

By Mark Hoerrner

Mothers and daughters are often close, sometimes even best friends, and occasionally business partners. And parents should model the behavior they want their children to absorb and show to the world. So it should have come as no surprise when Kimberly Peterson of Illinois was arrested for running an online escort service on the popular web site craigslist.org.

Her mother, Kimberly Miniea, had been arrested a year earlier when she had told police that she was running an escort service for married men.

If the movie "Hustle and Flow," taught the world anything, it’s that it’s "hard out there for a pimp." Petersen, 17, discovered that truth firsthand as she thought she was selling the sexual services of 27-year-old Heidi Mudge to a middle-aged man who turned out to be an undercover police officer. The officer had responded to a provocative ad on the popular "Craigslist" web site where people use a classified-ad style format to sell everything from personal services to vintage films.

The ad promised sexual services for $250 an hour and featured pictures of a buxom blonde. Upon arrival at Petersen’s residence, the officer was quoted a $300 price just before he arrested Peterson.

In a case of horrible timing, Gregory Potapczak, 48, arrived at the house at the same time and now faces charges of soliciting a prostitute.

In Thursday's arrest of Petersen, police obtained a search warrant and found "substantial facts to support a charge for keeping a place of prostitution," according to a Hillside police spokesman.

This is not the first arrest for Petersen, who was led away in handcuffs last April after odd circumstances led her mother to reportedly confess to running an escort service. Arson investigators looking into a fire said they came across a leather whip, condoms and lingerie in a Hillside apartment. Miniea allegedly copped to working as a madam and police arrested her and Petersen. The young girl was not charged in the case and the Cook County District Attorney later dropped the charges against Miniea.

Miniea was not available for comment, however, because she’s busy serving a two-year sentence for a drunken driving charge.

Petersen, who is currently out on bail, will be tried as an adult. She, Mudge and Potapczak face initial hearings in May.