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Ex-School Worker Busted As Hooker
A former Berkeley schools employee who allegedly doubled as a hooker pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge of soliciting prostitution.
Sharon Williams, 37, a former activities director for the Berkeley Unified School District’s Independent Study program, entered her plea in Alameda County Superior Court and is scheduled for an Aug. 27 pre-trial hearing.
Williams was arrested Aug. 13 by an undercover Oakland police officer after he arranged for a one-hour sex session for $250, according to Oakland Police Department spokesperson Officer Danielle Ashford.
Oakland police say they set up the sting after getting a tip about a steady stream of men filing in an out of an apartment in Oakland’s Rose Garden neighborhood near Lake Merritt.
Ashford said Williams had been leasing the apartment for about a year and did not appear to live there.
“When [the undercover officer] got there he found the apartment was very sparsely furnished and it appeared that no one stayed there at night,” she said.
Oakland police say Williams told the arresting officer she needed the money to supplement her school income, but Williams has denied the account.
Berkeley school officials have indicated that Williams resigned in June.
—David Scharfenberg
