Sheriff: Curling iron used to torture woman in Modesto

Two known south Modesto prostitutes have been charged with torturing and trafficking a developmentally disabled woman they believed stole money from one of them, according to court documents.

Defendant Caroline Clayton, 21, is accused of holding down the victim while co-defendant Nikki Ann Lavan, 52, burned her genitals with a hot curling iron.

Though warrants for the suspects' arrests were not issued until recently, the incident occurred some time between Christmas 2014 and New Year’s Day 2015 when the victim’s father took her to the hospital. The victim had burns and ruptured blisters on her genitals and inner thigh, according to an arrest affidavit filed by Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Detective Jesse Ruelas.

The victim told investigators she had been smoking methamphetamine at the Arrow Motel on Ninth Street with a prostitute named Nikki and two other people. When Nikki fell asleep, the victim went to the Budget Motel where, a short time later, she was attacked by Lavan, two unidentified women and a prostitute named “Buddha,” who she later identified in a photo lineup as Clayton.

The victim could not identify Lavan in a photo lineup and knew her attacker only by her first name but Clayton and another witness identified her as Nikki Lavan.

The victim recounted the attack during an interview at the Stanislaus County Justice Center, which was documented in the arrest affidavit as follows:

Clayton, Lavan and the two other women began choking and kicking the victim in the parking lot of the Budget Inn. Lavan accused the victim of stealing $60 from her.

The fight moved into one of the rooms where Clayton held her from behind to keep her restrained in a chair.

Lavan stood over her and burned her with a curling iron in the “vaginal area.”

“Clayton demanded the victim sell her body for $300,” the affidavit reads. “Clayton wanted the victim to work for (Lavan’s) money. Clayton told the victim to stand on the porch and wait for a date.”

The victim performed oral sex on two unknown men, both of whom gave the money to Clayton.

Ruelas interviewed Clayton several times and included in the arrest affidavit notes from the interview done by the deputy who responded to the hospital.

He noted during an interview with the victim at her parents’ house she “appeared to speak in a childlike manner but was consistent with the original report.” Ruelas said she appeared tired, yawning on several occasions, which she told him was because of the prescription medicine she takes.

Ruelas said, “The victim suffers from a mental disability but was able to recollect names, locations and a description of a few day span with a slight misperception of time.”

He interviewed Lavan on Jan. 5, 2015.

She confirmed she was friends with Clayton, who went by the street name Buddha.

Lavan said she confronted the victim at the Budget Motel about $60 she stole from her.

The affidavit reads, “Lavan said, ‘Whatever happened from there, it happened’ then slapped her legs.”

Lavan said other people at the hotel hit the victim several times, but she denied being part of the assault or burning the victim.

Lavan said she heard Clayton received money from the victim and could “only guess” she made her prostitute for it.

Ruelas interviewed Clayton in February 2015. She denied any involvement in the incident and repeatedly answered “That’s crazy” to Ruelas’ questions.

She initially denied knowing anything about the victim’s burns, then later in the interview suggested the woman sustained them during an incident at the Tiki Lodge in Modesto prior to coming to Ninth Street.

In November, Ruelas interviewed witness Sheldon Miller, who is described in the affidavit as a male transvestite who goes by the name Inessa. The alleged incident happened in his room at the Budget Motel.

The affidavit reads: “Miller said, ‘Nikki was really rough with her. Told her she had to get work to get her money back. She was going to beat her ass. Nikki burned her with a curling iron a couple of times.”

Miller was initially hesitant to say where the victim was burned but eventually said “Nikki jammed a curling iron between her legs.”

He said the victim was not held down during the assault. Miller said Lavan yelled at the victim that she wanted her money back and that the victim was going to work for it.

The curling iron was destroyed in a fire at the Budget Motel in August.

Ruelas wrote his arrest warrant Feb. 22. Lavan was arrested Feb. 28 and Clayton was arrested Friday.

They were charged with torture, aggravated mayhem, assault with intent to commit mayhem, human trafficking, pandering and conspiracy to pimp and pander. Both have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to appear in court next week.

The victim has permanent white patches and scars from the curling iron burns.

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This story was originally published March 30, 2016 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Sheriff: Curling iron used to torture woman in Modesto."