Three Johnson County residents face Level 5 felony charges of promoting prostitution in a case involving allegations that a woman was coerced into prostitution across five Indiana communities. Court documents name the defendants as Matthew Thompson, Darby Thompson and Malinda Johnson; the allegations have not been established at trial.
Investigators began looking into the case on Oct. 6 after a Johnson County Sheriff’s Office detective found a website advertising prostitution services, according to Fox 59. The site listed Indianapolis, Whiteland, Franklin, Knightstown and Greenfield.
What Investigators Say Happened
Court documents say an undercover detective contacted the number on the site and arranged a half-hour meeting for $180 on East King Street in Franklin. The three suspects arrived in a Chevy Cruze with a woman later identified as the alleged prostitute. After the detective handed over the money, the woman was arrested, according to Fox 59’s account.
Investigators reported that the suspects’ vehicle moved several times after the woman was detained, which they believed was an effort to track her location. Concerned about officer safety at the scene, detectives requested additional assistance before questioning the three suspects, according to court documents.
Allegations of Coercion and Control
The woman told detectives she was being forced to prostitute herself, according to court documents. Investigators said Darby Thompson had created her profile on the advertising website, arranged virtual payment and set her schedule. The woman said Darby introduced her to prostitution and operated the site. Detectives determined that Matthew Thompson controlled the money, the filings say.
The woman told investigators that prostitution took place at Darby and Matthew Thompson’s residence before the group drove to meet customers. She said she had told the couple she wanted to stop, but they persuaded her to return with manicures, shoes, devices and other gifts. When that did not work, she said, they used verbal abuse and threatened to take the gifts away.
What the Court Documents Say About the Group’s Roles
According to court documents, Matthew Thompson called himself the “CEO,” Darby Thompson was described as the “manager,” and the woman was called the “worker.” Darby Thompson acknowledged that the woman was being prostituted and said the group had no steady employment. The filings say the woman’s activity covered all of the group’s bills during the previous month.
Matthew Thompson told investigators that the woman and Darby Thompson were involved in prostitution and that he oversaw the money, according to the filings. Investigators said phone records showed Darby received a payment for a prostitution act and then notified Matthew. Malinda Johnson asked to have her attorney present before answering further questions.
Warrants Served; Hearing Date Not Listed
Online court records showed that arrest warrants for all three suspects were served Friday, Nov. 6. When Fox 59 reviewed the records, they did not list a date for the suspects’ initial hearing.
The allegations come amid limitations in Indiana’s statewide trafficking data. The State of Indiana’s 2020 human trafficking report said 157 cases were reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline in Indiana in 2019, including 40 involving minors. The report cautioned that Indiana has no centralized reporting system, so hotline figures do not capture the full scope of trafficking in the state, according to the 2020 Indiana State Report on Human Trafficking.
Indiana Data and a Separate Investigation
The state report also said Ascent 121 provided services to 117 minors in Indiana in 2019. That is a count of minors served by the organization, not a statewide count of trafficking cases, according to the State of Indiana. A separate investigation reported by Fox59 on Oct. 15, 2025, involved a 14-month investigation into alleged human-trafficking crimes, searches at Central Indiana spa parlors and homes, and three arrests. It was a different investigation from the Johnson County case, not evidence of a connection between the cases.
