State high court examines kidnapping

Friday, May 15, 1998 | 12:02 p.m.

Chief Justice Charles Springer made the comments during a hearing Thursday in the case of Andrew Meeks, a Minneapolis man convicted in October 1996 of first-degree kidnapping for enticing three teen-age girls away from their parents to work as prostitutes.

During the hearing, justices focused on the kidnapping conviction that involved a 17-year-old Minneapolis girl, with Springer saying, "The kidnapping here is pretty thin to me."

Deputy District Attorney Tamara Lawson said Meeks lured the 17-year-old victim to Las Vegas in 1994 with promises of money and freedom, adding, "She was vulnerable at the time. She was a runaway."

Justice Bob Rose asked if the 17-year-old girl could have been considered emancipated under Nevada law.

Lawson said the girl's mother testified she wasn't emancipated, adding that a finding that the girl was emancipated still wouldn't change her status as a minor under the law.

Meeks, 26, was sentenced last year to three life terms in prison for his crimes. Jurors also convicted him of five counts of using a minor in the production of pornography, four counts of attempted statutory sexual seduction, two counts of attempted use of a minor in the production of pornography, and two counts of child abuse.

Sharon Meeks, 25, his wife, was sentenced in December 1996 to probation after pleading guilty to attempted pandering in connection with the case.

The couple and the 17-year-old girl came to Las Vegas in December 1994. Prosecutors said Sharon Meeks and the teen-ager then began working as prostitutes for escort services.

The teen-ager was arrested about two months later in Las Vegas and sent home. Authorities said Meeks then tried to recruit a 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl.

Police were tipped to the case when the girls' parents reported them as runaways. Police went to Andrew Meeks' residence in March 1995 and arrested him after finding nude pictures of the 17-year-old girl.

Meeks' lawyer, Mitchell Posin, argued Thursday that prosecutors presented insufficient evidence to support his client's convictions. He also said the teen-agers acted voluntarily.

The high court will rule at a later date.