Champaign County Sheriff’s deputies concluded an undercover investigation Sunday stemming for a tip they got in September accusing Rice of running a brothel in his home.
Rice allegedly would have men meet him at designated locations in the village and them bring him to his home, according to Champaign County Municipal Court records.
The men would pay the suspect on the first floor, then go upstairs and reportedly have sex with women on the second floor, according to the court records.
Champaign County Sheriff Chief Deputy Rick Jordan said he believes at least two women were involved in the operation with Rice and those investigations are ongoing.
“It was a well-investigated case and everything went according to plan,” Jordan said.
On Sunday an undercover deputy met Rice at the corner of Maple and East streets in North Lewisburg. The deputy wore a yellow sweatshirt as a sign to indicate that he was a “john,” according to the court records.
The deputy asked if he paid the girl or Rice for the sex acts and the suspect allegedly said, “You pay me when we get back to the house,” according to the court statement.
Rice will be back in court for a preliminary hearing later this month. The case will likely be presented to the Champaign County Grand Jury in November.
Lifelong North Lewisburg resident Dave Spain said he believed that the suspect had only lived in the home for a month or two and none of the neighbors he had talked to knew anything about it.
“We were all really shocked to find out,” Spain said.
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