A man who police say forced a woman to have sex to pay off his debts, denied the allegations as his lawyer raised several concerns with the case.
In June, Horry County Police charged Jason Morrison with human trafficking. He was in court Wednesday requesting bond.
“He vehemently denies the nature of the allegations,” his attorney Jarrett Bouchette said.
Investigators say between 2014 and 2017 Morrison forced a person to engage in sexual acts for his own profit. According to an arrest warrant, men came to a Holly Lane home in the Conway area to have sex with the victim. The men would negotiate a price with Morrison before engaging in sex.
The victim — listed as an 18-year-old in a police report — was rarely compensated, police said. When she was paid, it was with crack cocaine, according to the warrant.
Morrison also forced the victim to have sex with others to pay off his debts, according to the warrant.
But, Bouchette said the victim faces burglary and kidnapping charges and is currently in jail. Myrtle Beach police questioned the woman about the burglary, and it was then she claimed to be the victim of human trafficking.
“It was based on that testimony of hers, [police] obtained the warrant,” Bouchette said, adding there was no corroboration of the claims.
The victim was also incarcerated in Pennsylvania in 2016, Bouchette said, which is the same time she said the Horry County crimes happened.
Morrison was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army and is disabled, Bouchette said. He gave a statement to police after his arrest and has no reason to skip future hearings before his trial, his attorney said.
Judge Benjamin Culbertson set Morrison’s bail at $15,000.
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