Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 71F. E winds shifting to S at 10 to 15 mph. Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Low 47F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Updated: February 10, am. It will pay to keep her high for a few more hours.
She probably was pretty once. But at about 90 pounds, Myranda is a wisp of a woman, with skeletal knobs for shoulders and sunken cheeks that tell of her battle with crack cocaine. She is only 25, but she makes no apologies for the life she has established as a prostitute along Main Street in Mesa, where she works johns day and night.
Prostitutes from other parts of the Valley are flocking to Mesa street corners to cash in on the easy business, and their drug dealers are not far behind, police said. As they slowly stroll down the sidewalk, cars start to stack up — one, two, three deep — on Main Street.
The drivers circle the block to make a few passes, check her out. The pickup is fast, usually right in the middle of traffic. More often than not, the girl has no idea who she just got into a car with — a paying customer, a sadist or a cop.
The men come from all walks of life. They are smallbusiness owners, construction workers, college kids, religious men, drug users and prominent businessmen. But most of them share the classic characteristics of a john: White, married men in their 40s and 50s. Just seeing a known prostitute get into a car with a man can be probable cause for arrest. Over the years, she has built up a steady stream of regulars who visit her about once a week in the motel where she lives. Streetwalking, though, is the only option for many prostitutes, even if it puts their lives in danger.
