Ex-UW basketball player pleads not guilty to promoting prostitution

Former University of Washington basketball player Venoy Overton pleaded not guilty Thursday morning to a charge of second-degree promoting prostitution.

The judge set bail at $25,000 during Overton's arraignment at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.

Prosecutors had asked for bail of $50,000, saying Overton may be a flight risk because he had considered playing professional basketball overseas. But Overton's attorney, James Bible, disagreed, saying Overton didn't even have a passport.

After Thursday's hearing, Bible said he is disappointed that his client wasn't released without having to post bail. He said he expects that his client will be able to make bail.

Overton, 22, was charged in June with the felony after he allegedly coerced an 18-year-old woman into prostitution. The woman told police she was Overton's girlfriend and said she was required to give him money, and when she couldn't, he told her to work as a prostitute, according to charging papers.

According to the charging documents, Overton offered the woman detailed instructions on how to work as a prostitute. He drove the woman to Pacific Highway South in Kent, told her how to walk, what prices to charge and how many tricks to turn before calling him to pick her up, according to the charges.

The woman worked as a prostitute in South King County for three nights last month, splitting her earnings with Overton, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Sean O'Donnell wrote in the charging documents. Kent police launched the investigation after the woman was arrested May 20 after offering to perform a sex act with an undercover officer for $200.

The woman said Overton repeatedly promised that they would be financially secure once a National Basketball Association team drafted him.

Overton, a 6-foot point guard who was one of the Huskies' top defensive players, is not considered an NBA prospect.

After his arrest, Overton told police it was the woman's idea to work as a prostitute, but he said he agreed to drive her to Kent because he knew she would pay him part of her earnings, according to charges.

"I'm not going to turn down money from a girl," Overton allegedly told police.

In January, police investigated Overton after he had sex with two 16-year-old girls he met online. He was ultimately charged with providing alcohol to a minor, a gross misdemeanor.

Overton reached an agreement with the Seattle City Attorney's Office, which said it would dismiss the charge of furnishing alcohol to a minor if he stayed out of trouble for a year. If convicted of the promoting-prostitution charge, that agreement will be in jeopardy.

Bible said that Overton has "an eagerness" to address the new charge filed against him.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com

Information from Seattle Times archives is included in this report.