Ghanaian nurse arrested for having sex with a prostitute while on duty

WEST HARTFORD — A certified nursing assistant hired to care for an elderly Glenwood Road resident was arrested Thursday night for allegedly hiring a prostitute to come to the residence while his client slept upstairs, police said.

Richard Sarpong, 27, of East Harford, was charged with patronizing a prostitute, police said. Officers also arrested Raechelle Carmona, of Cromwell, who was charged with prostitution, and John Erdman, of Bethel, who was charged with promoting prostitution.

Officers responding to Glenwood Road about 9 p.m. Thursday after a report of a suspicious vehicle talked to the driver, later identified as Erdman, who said he was waiting for a friend at another person's house, according to a police report.

Erdman was "visibly nervous, stumbled over his words and was hesitant to answer my questions," Officer Christopher Leonard wrote in his report. Another officer said Erdman changed his story several times, calling his friend "Jesse," then "Anya," then "Rachel."

A short while later, a woman approached the officers and Erdman and identified herself as Raechelle Carmona, the report says. Carmona told police that she was on a date with her boyfriend, "Johnson," down the street and that Erdman was picking her up.

Police then noticed an open notebook in Erdman's car with the words "Cougar seeking cub. Craigslist.org" written inside, the report says. Erdman then told the officers that he drove Carmona to the area to perform sex acts for money for a resident of a Glenwood Road house. He said Carmona was going to give him $20 for driving her to the house.

The officers went to the Glenwood house and spoke with Sarpong, who said that he had met Carmona through a friend and that he paid her $65 to "build a relationship," the report says. He denied engaging in any sexual acts while she was at the residence and said he gave her the money because she came all the way to West Hartford from Cromwell.

After the three were taken to police headquarters, Carmona told officers that she had $70 hidden in her bra, which was then confiscated, the report says.

Sarpong works for Companions and Homemakers, and officers contacted the company, which sent a replacement nursing assistant to the home, police said.