Milford woman tells cops her pimp, abuser: It’s Dad
A 26-year-old woman is sitting in the Oakland County Jail today, serving a sentence for prostitution. And now prosecutors say they are going after her pimp — her dad.
In one of the most unusual cases that Milford police have ever investigated, authorities say that William Pattison, 47, advertised his daughter’s services on the Internet, printed business cards and then set her up as a prostitute.
Pattison, a former Michigan corrections officer, also is charged with forcing four females — including his daughter — to have sex with him.
"It’s a mess," police Lt. Tom Callahan said Thursday.
The investigation report, which began in July, is more than 5 inches thick — and detectives are still trying to determine whether there may be other victims, Callahan said.
"If everything that is alleged is true, he’s pretty sick," he said.
Pattison is in the Oakland County Jail on $1.2 million bond.
He faces one count of pandering, a felony punishable by up to 20 years, and several counts of criminal sexual conduct, including first degree, which carries a maximum penalty of up to life in prison. He was arraigned Monday in district court in Novi and is due back at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 9 for a preliminary examination.
Pattison’s attorney, Daniel Randazzo, did not return a call Thursday seeking comment.
Until now, Milford was mostly known as site of a search for Jimmy Hoffa’s body this summer. Residents said Thursday they were shocked to learn of the prostitution case.
Kevin Olszewski, 35, who lives on the same street where the prostitute lived, said Milford is an unlikely place to find prostitution — especially charges that a father acted as his daughter’s pimp. "That sounds unusual anywhere," he said.
The daughter is getting treatment for substance abuse and psychological treatment in jail.
Douglas Barnett, a clinical psychology professor at Wayne State, said "it may be hard for her to know how abnormal this is if this is how she’s grown up."
The Free Press typically does not print the names of alleged sexual abuse victims and is withholding the woman’s name for publication.
The woman pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor prostitution charge this summer. Police got a tip from a man who saw a suspicious personal ad on a Web site.
The woman’s attorney, Bill Urich, said that his client initially was reluctant to say anything to police about her father’s involvement in her crime. But, Urich said, as the evidence mounted against Pattison, the woman agreed to cooperate with detectives and gave a full account.
Urich cited another issue: The woman had lost custody of her young daughter, who was then in Pattison’s custody.
The father made her "do things she wouldn’t do, by preventing her from having contact with her daughter," Urich said.
There are no allegations of sexual abuse involving the granddaughter, and she is in the care of the state, Urich said.