Prostitution conspiracy investigation sees Godley police officers arrested; co-defendant maintains innocence
Godley police officers arrested in prostitution bust
Three men, including former members of the Godley Police Department, were arrested and are facing multiple charges relating to promoting and soliciting prostitution. FOX 4's David Sentendrey spoke to one of the wife of one of the suspects who was previously convicted of prostitution.
GODLEY, Texas - Multiple former Godley police officers have been arrested in connection to a prostitution conspiracy investigation, and more arrests are expected. However, the wife and co-defendant of one of the suspects maintains his and her innocence.
Michael Ketcherside, Matthew Cantrell and Solomon Omotoya
Three arrested in Godley prostitution bust
What we know:
Police arrested three individuals in connection with a prostitution conspiracy investigation being conducted by the Johnson County District Attorney's Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Michael Ketcherside was charged with continuous promotion of prostitution. Matthew Cantrell, the former Godley Chief of Police, was charged with promoting prostitution. Former Godley police officer Solomon Omotoya was charged with soliciting prostitution.
Ketcherside's wife, Ashley, has not been arrested or charged in the investigation, but is identified as a co-defendant in court documents. Those same documents accuse her and her husband of racketeering.
Court documents state that Godley police officers and their spouses would frequently spend time at the Ketchersides' house.
Investigators searched the Ketchersides' home in March and seized Ashley's burner phone, where they uncovered a large number of prostitution clients.
That list included former officer Omotoya, who reportedly solicited Ashley for sex in exchange for doing yard work and other favors.
Omotoya led investigators to Cantrell, who told them Ashley's common rate for sex was roughly $1000, a number that investigators say supports details found on her burner phone.
Officials also discovered that the Ketchersides and Cantrell had conspired to compile information on people they perceived to be adversaries, including members of Godley City Council, the Godley ISD school board and Godley Police officers.
The reason for compiling that information remains unclear.
Previous prostitution incident in Godley
The backstory:
This isn't the first time in the last several years Godley has seen controversy involving prostitution.
In 2023, Ashley Ketcherside was removed from a Godley ISD committee that decided the district's sex education curriculum after it was discovered she had been twice convicted of prostitution in 2012 and 2016.
Convicted prostitute, current escort removed from Godley ISD groups, including council overseeing Sex-Ed
A woman tasked with helping decide sexual education curriculum in Godley ISD has been removed from multiple positions within the district because she's a convicted prostitute.
Ketcherside was also advertising on escort websites at the time of her volunteering. She was later removed from other Godley ISD volunteer groups after her past convictions surfaced.
A 2016 court document obtained by FOX 4 claims Michael Ketcherside was "very supportive of her profession" at the time of her second conviction.
Ashley Ketcherside maintains innocence
What they're saying:
Despite previous convictions for prostitution, Ashley Ketcherside tells FOX 4's David Sentendrey she is not a prostitute, and she's never been trafficked by her husband.
"He’s a great husband, an amazing father to my three kids and I believe in the justice system," Ashley told Sentendrey. "I’m absolutely no victim of my husband or anybody else."
Ashley Ketcherside
Ketcherside says she hasn't spoken to police during their investigation.
When asked if there was prostitution between her and Cantrell or Omotoya, Ashley replied, "Absolutely not. No. Not even close."
She also tells Sentendrey she is not active on any escort sites, and she never asked anyone in the Godley Police Department to get her and her husband records of potential adversaries.
When asked about prostitution, Ketcherside says, "Whatever people choose to do with their bodies, is up to them."
"I know that the truth will come out."
The other side:
Godley ISD trustee Kayla Lain blew the whistle to FOX 4 in 2023 about Ketcherside's past prostitution convictions, and tells FOX 4's David Sentendrey she's alarmed by the alleged conspiracy.
"I truly cannot believe that we’re still dealing with this three years later," Lain said. "If this was handled properly from day one, we would not be where we are today."
Kayla Lain
"I’m very glad that the district attorney’s office has been taking this seriously."
What's next:
The Godley Police Department said that more arrests are expected in this case.
Michael Ketcherside remains in jail on a $250,000 bond and Matthew Cantrell is in jail on a $100,000 bond.
Solomon Omotoya has posted a $20,000 bond.
The Source: Information in this story comes from the Johnson County Sheriff's Office and previous FOX 4 reporting.