SILVER CREEK – Law enforcement officials say a cocaine drugaddiction apparently led a mother to prostitute one of her ownchildren to support her habit.

In connection with the mother’s case, six men have been arrestedon a total of 22 charges of statutory rape and several more arrestsare expected, said Lawrence County Sheriff’s Departmentinvestigator Ray Smith.

Candence Parkman, 41, of Silver Creek, was arrested April 4 on acharge of possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute bythe Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. It was during questioning,however, that the most startling information was discovered, saidMBN Capt. Mike Aldridge.

While conducting an interview with the mother, she admitted sheand her 15-year-old daughter would have sex for drugs, Aldridgesaid. A follow-up interview with the daughter corraborated thestory, he added.

Parkman was charged with permitting the continuing sexual abuseof a child by MBN. She is being held on a $200,000 bond.

The daughter has been placed in a foster home under thedirection of the Department of Human Services, Smith said. Nocharges have been filed against the juvenile.

Once the case began to extend beyond the boundaries of drugpossession and abuse, Aldridge said the sheriff’s department wasbrought into the investigation to pursue the non-drug relatedoffenses.

Six men were arrested earlier this week by the sheriff’sdepartment and charged wtih statutory rape, Smith said. The menrange in age from 19 to 43 years old and live in an area fromMonticello to Prentiss.

“We did a small roundup April 10 to get those suspects intocustody. We got four,” Smith said.

A fifth suspect turned himself in Wednesday morning.

A sixth suspect, Javario McInnis, 22, of Prentiss, is in theJefferson Davis County Jail on an unrelated possession of crackcocaine charge, Smith said. McInnis faces four counts of statutoryrape in Lawrence County.

“We have a hold on him, but we can’t get him until Jeff Davis isdone with him,” Smith said.

Robert Brown, 36, of Highway 43 South, Silver Creek, isassociated with nearly half the charges. He has been charged with10 counts of statutory rape.

Others charged with statutory rape include Darryl Stewart, 43,of Monticello, on three counts; Jason Menendez, 21, of 475 GarrettRoad, Silver Creek and Gerale Fortenberry, 19, of 581 Garrett Road,Silver Creek, on two counts; and James Tyson, 39, of 238 ProgressRoad, Prentiss, on one count.

“We’re still receiving information on other male adults, so morethan likely there will be more arrests,” Smith said.