HAMMOND - The Hammond Police Department arrested a man they say posed as a hypnotist while trafficking women from out of state and using businesses to promote prostitution.

Steven Bates, 58, of Farmersville, California had applied for occupational licenses for multiple locations in Hammond. Investigators found female employees who were dressed in lingerie living out of the businesses, which appeared to operating as massage parlors.

Hammond Police said during an inspection, all the doors were locked to one of the business and Bates refused to allow them inside. Later, officials said information from search warrants suggested the women were being trafficked from outside the state.

The Hammond Police Department also said Bates had outstanding warrants from East Baton Rouge Parish and is b

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