No guilty plea in Prospect Hts. prostitution case

Two women arrested following a prostitution sting at a Prospect Heights dance studio did not plead guilty, contrary to a Cook County sheriff's department release.

Veronica Rodriguez, 21, of Elgin and Marisol Rodriguez, 37, of Niles were charged in March with misdemeanor prostitution follow an undercover investigation by the Cook County sheriff and Prospect Heights police.

In an agreement reached last week with prosecutors, the women agreed to enter a prostitution diversion program called Unhooked with the stipulation that, if they successfully completed it, they could have the arrest cleared from their records.

But the women, who are not related, did not enter guilty pleas or otherwise admit guilt as part of any deal, prosecutors said.

Nor were the women placed on probation for one year, as the Cook County sheriff's office said, but they are due back in court on Sept. 9 for the judge to consider whether to remove the arrests from their respective records, said their attorney, Barry Lewis.

Lewis said his clients are innocent. He said he agreed to the deal -- rather than go to trial and risk a conviction -- because the women did not have to admit guilt and have a good chance of clearing their records.

Local police and the sheriff's office have said the women offered sex to an undercover officer in exchange for money in a back room at New Dance Expressions, 65 E. Palatine Road. The business has since been shut down.