Lake in the Hills woman denies she put teen to work as prostitute

A Lake in the Hills woman formally denied charges Tuesday that she and two roommates lured a 14-year-old girl from Kansas to put her to work locally as a prostitute.

Antwanette Atkins, 42, of the 3500 block of Sonoma Circle, pleaded not guilty to involuntary servitude of a minor and juvenile pimping, and asked for a jury trial on the felony allegations that could land her in prison for between six and 30 years if convicted.

Authorities allege that after the 14-year-old girl was brought to Lake in the Hills Dec. 30 from her home in Wichita, Kan., Atkins took her to two suburban locations where she was paid to have sex with men. The girl, police said, later gave the money to Atkins' co-defendant Donald R. Jones.

Jones, 52, also of the 3500 block of Sonoma Circle, also faces involuntary servitude of a minor and juvenile pimping charges. A prosecutor said last month Jones brought the girl from Kansas after first communicating with her over an online social networking site. He then created an online escort advertisement for her once she got to Lake in the Hills, the prosecutor said. He is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.

Both Atkins and Jones remain in custody at the McHenry County jail on $200,000 and $250,000 bond, respectively. A third co-defendant and roommate, Kari D. Knox, 36, is in state prison on an unrelated prostitution conviction.