Social Media post stirs up controversy in Louisa

By Roberta Cantrell
BSN Editor

A social media post made by a Beckley, WV woman caused a stir among a large number of Lawrence County residents who believe that a motel located in the center of Louisa is not on the up and up.

According to Crystal Massey, she nearly escaped what she believed was an attempt of human trafficking and felt like what she was told by a Louisa Patrolmen was confirmation of that.

In Massey’s post she wrote the following: “I never am that person to make things up especially being dramatic (keep that in mind) but I’m pretty sure I just escaped a human trafficking situation tonight at Best Western (Budget Inn) in Louisa, Kentucky. Me and Derek my 21-year old and Jayce my 11-year old grandson were looking for a room for the night until we brought my son Devin back from his girlfriends in Kentucky, I found this place through google maps, walked in and asked if they had a room. This man of foreign origin said he may have one reservation cancelling just wait and he’d call and ask… he kept his cell phone (not desk phone) on speaker and spoke for 3-5 minutes to another woman in their language and then said you’re in luck we have one room … he only charged me 65.00 (no tax or paperwork ) in cash and wrote down my driver’s license info… then walked outside to 4 Mexicans that were in the parking lot and pointed up at room 227 (my room I found out later) then came in and gave me the key to 227, me and the kids decided we weren’t staying but needed to leave without suspicion so we walked across to the little store to grab drinks (they lined up and watched us go and come back) then we went to the room to come up with a plan to leave as all of them came to my door and stood and talked in their language again… so we all 3 bunched together and pushed past them and got into my car and drove away and called the police. A detective called me back and said they were glad we left and called them that they have an ongoing investigation into that place because “possible trafficking” activity and preceded to tell me that if we’d have stayed something WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO ME not might have but would have!!! She’s passing my complaint onto their prosecuting attorney tonight!!!!!! Ladies please be aware and always trust your gut… my God was looking out for us and I’m so very thankful.”

After the post hit social media it went viral with the community hitting share after share and tagging it continuously.

To counteract the publicity, newly appointed Louisa Police Chief Steven Wilburn issued a statement also on social media stating it was basically an unsubstantiated post by Massey.

In his response Chief Wilburn wrote:

“The Louisa Police Department is aware of recent social media posts circulating regarding allegations of a human trafficking incident at a local hotel within our jurisdiction. We understand the seriousness of such allegations and wish to address the situation with transparency and factual information.

On May 25, 2025, a report was made to one of our officers regarding behavior that a concerned citizen perceived as suspicious and potentially indicative of human trafficking. The officer responded promptly to the incident, conducted an initial inquiry, and thoroughly assessed the circumstances described.

After careful review, the investigating officer found no evidence of criminal activity that would support charges or justify further criminal investigation at this time. There were no signs of trafficking, coercion, or unlawful restraint observed during the officer’s inquiry. We will be reviewing the report with the county attorney’s office.

Human trafficking is a grave and deeply concerning crime, and we treat every related report with the utmost seriousness. The safety and well-being of all individuals in our community is a top priority, and we remain committed to responding swiftly and thoroughly to any report of suspicious or unlawful activity.

We appreciate the vigilance of the community in reporting concerns, and we encourage the public to continue to do so. At the same time, we also ask that individuals avoid spreading unverified or misleading information on social media platforms, as this can cause unnecessary panic and divert resources away from legitimate investigations.

If you have credible information related to this or any other public safety matter, we urge you to contact the Louisa Police Department directly at 606-638-4058.”

Chief Wilburn’s response was met by a lot of criticism from many of the local citizens saying the motel has been the center of allegations of drug trafficking, OD’s, missing out of towners, whose families have reported them missing and cited that one of the motel operators was indicted by the Lawrence County grand jury in the past for human trafficking.

Govindlal Patel, 62, of Louisa, was charged with 3rd degree sexual abuse and criminal attempt of human trafficking for allegedly subjecting another person to attempting to subject another individual to engage in forced services or commercial sexual activity through the use of fraud or coercion on June 21, 2022.

Patel was found guilty of offering a female a free room in exchange for sexual favors instead of the $60 fee for the room and subjecting another female to sexual conduct without her consent which now falls under the charge of human trafficking.

He was released under the conditions of having no further conduct with the victims, complaining witnesses, violate any local/state/federal laws, and make all scheduled court appearances.

After speaking with Chief Wilburn Monday, June 2, it was clarified that some of what Massey stated in her post was highly exaggerated after actual video from the hotel was obtained and viewed by law enforcement.

“What we seen on the video shows that the men she referred to as the Mexicans were actually contractors and decided they didn’t need the extra room,” said Chief Wilburn. “At no time, were they close to her hotel door and she never had to push through them.”

Chief Wilburn said there were too many inconsistencies with her complaint and social media post than what actually took place on what was plainly seen and heard on the video and no charges are being filed in this incident.