The owner of a massage parlor often cited as the possible location of prostitution downtown has been arrested after Madison police executed a search warrant in Middleton.
An MPD report said Charles Prindiville, 58, owner of the Rising Sun massage parlor on West Main Street, was arrested after police found a rifle in his Middleton home while executing a search warrant.
Prindiville faces tentative charges for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to an MPD report.
The search was prompted by new information gathered in relation to a 2008 case involving the sexual assault of a 5-year-old girl. Detectives were looking for information in a prostitution investigation, the report said.
No arrests have been made in the present case, the report added. Court documents related to the case are under a 90-day seal, and details cannot be released.
MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain declined to comment because the case is still going through the legal process.
Prostitution investigations such as that of the Rising Sun begin due to complaints from citizens or when activities have an adverse effect on neighborhoods, the report said.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said he received no complaints about the Rising Sun in this instance.
Instead, Verveer said he received inquiries from individuals about what he knew, whether the establishment was legitimate or involved in prostitution, what police intended to do and how the Rising Sun was able to stay in business.
Verveer added he did not get complaints about a negative effect on the neighborhood at the time police began to investigate.
“The whole time the Rising Sun has been in business, there have always been rumors and innuendo about town that there were more than massages being bought there,” Verveer said.
Since Rising Sun is on the 100 block of West Main Street among a variety of other businesses including clubs, bars and restaurants, patrons and employees of the Rising Sun remain relatively anonymous, Verveer said.
The crowds of the more mainstream businesses allowed them to blend in, Verveer added.
The investigation came after years of suspicion from many members of the neighborhood.
“My immediate reaction when Madison Police called to inform me what was taking place was, ‘What took so long?'” Verveer said.
