Trio charged with kidnapping, torturing prostitute with water, burns

Three people were charged Wednesday with kidnapping a prostitute and torturing her in motel rooms in Costa Mesa and Westminster for nearly a week before she was rescued by police.

Renice Stevenson Flores-Davis, a 26-year-old Costa Mesa resident, is accused of 10 felonies, including human trafficking, torture, kidnapping and pimping.

Two other suspects — Oscar Gonzalez-Salinas, 33, and Cierra Rose Thompson, 27 — each face nine similar felonies, the Daily Pilot reported.

The trio allegedly beat the woman, poured water down her throat and nose and burned her with methamphetamine pipes and an iron, authorities said.

“You could see the imprint from the iron on both of her shoulders,” said Costa Mesa police Sgt. Ed Everett.

Authorities took the woman to Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach and then a women’s shelter.

Flores-Davis allegedly met the unidentified woman in Costa Mesa during a drug deal in May and persuaded her to work for him as a prostitute.

But on July 22, Orange County prosecutors say Flores-Davis got angry with her and, with the help of Thompson, zip-tied her to a chair and left her tied to a bathroom sink blindfolded and gagged in a Westminster motel, where she slept on the bathroom floor.

During the next week, authorities said, Gonzalez-Salinas and Thompson allegedly helped Flores-Davis supervise the woman and repeatedly torture her, ensuring she wouldn’t escape.

The woman, however, was able to send a Facebook message asking for help, police said. The recipient called the Costa Mesa Police Department about 6 p.m. Monday and directed officers to the Days Inn on Newport Boulevard, where she was rescued.

Flores-Davis faces 56 years to life in prison if convicted of his charges, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office. Gonzalez-Salinas and Thompson each face 39 years to life in state prison.

They are all being held in lieu of $1-million bail and are expected to be arraigned Aug. 22.

Dobruck writes for Times Community News.

Follow @jeremiahdobruck on Twitter or email jeremiah.dobruck2@latimes.com.