Richland PD: Man hires prostitute, calls 911 when she refuses to leave

David Mann by David Mann

RICHLAND, Wash. – Police say a 53-year-old Richland man called 911 Sunday morning because the prostitute he hired was refusing to leave his home.

Officers responded to the home on the 2000 block of Stevens Drive near Jadwin Avenue at about 11:30 a.m. When they arrived, Duval Cardwell was standing outside with a pistol in a holster on his hip, said Sgt. Drew Florence.

Cardwell told police a woman was inside, and he wanted her to leave so that he could “go to church,” Florence said.

Officers took away his gun and walked inside the home while 26-year-old Jewel Kennedy was in the bathroom. At this point, Cardwell was being cooperative.

But as police interviewed Kennedy, she admitted to offering sexual favors for money and said she was refusing to leave after a “disagreement about payment,” Florence said.

Officers then questioned Cardwell as he sat on the couch before telling him that he was under arrest. They asked him if he had another weapon on him, and he said yes — although police later learned that he didn’t.

He got up and started to approach the officers while refusing their commands, so police used a Taser to debilitate him before putting him in handcuffs.

He was arrested on charges of patronizing a prostitute and resisting arrest. He was booked at the Benton County Jail.

Upon further investigation, police learned that Kennedy was wanted on an active warrant. She was booked at the Franklin County Jail on her warrant and charges related to prostitution are pending.

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