A Connecticut hotel owner and volunteer EMT has been arrested after state police say he tried to buy a young girl online to sexually assault her. Police say 46-year-old Simon Hessler thought he was exchanging money for a preteen girl, but it was really a sting operation involving an undercover Connecticut State Police trooper posing as a human trafficker, Fox 61 TV reports.
Hessler, of Ellington, was arrested November 13 and charged with attempted conspiracy at trafficking in persons, attempted felony to patronize a prostitute, second-degree attempted sexual assault, attempted impairing the morals of a minor, attempted unlawful restraint, attempted cruelty to persons and attempted promotion of child pornography, the news station reports.
Hessler remains in police custody and is scheduled to appear in court in Manchester next month, according to online court records. The case was investigated by the State Police with assistance from Manchester and East Hartford detectives, according to a police report obtained by Fox 61.
Hessler is the owner of Baymont Inn & Suites in Manchester, according to his Linkedin profile. According to the police report, Hessler was trying to have the girl, who he believed to be 10-12, delivered to his hotel. He was arrested after trying to pay the undercover trooper for “the delivery and access of a juvenile victim,” according to the warrant obtained by Fox 61.
Police said Hessler was attempting to, “solicit in exchange for money access to a preteen juvenile girl for the purpose of a sexual interaction which included forced restraint.” He told the undercover detective he wanted the girl for “slave training,” according to court documents. Police said he was willing to pay for two days of “limitless sex.”
Here’s what you need to know about Simon Hessler:
1. Hessler Has a ‘Sex Dungeon’ at His Office in Vernon, State Police Say, & Investigators Are Looking for Potential Victims
After the Connecticut State Police arrested Simon Hessler on Tuesday, November 13, investigators searched a business owned by Hessler and found a “sex dungeon,” and other related paraphernalia, Fox 61 reports.
State Police searched an office building in a converted home on Talcotville Road in Vernon on Wednesday owned by Hessler. Other details about what was found during the search were not available. Police said the seized items will be analyzed at the state’s forensic lab. Detectives are working to determine if there are any potential victims connected to Hessler, Fox 61 reports.
According to NBC Connecticut, Hessler told the undercover detective that he wanted the girl he thought he was paying for to be brought to a camper in the parking lot of his Manchester hotel. According to court documents obtained by the news station, Hessler sent the undercover detective pictures of a room with multiple beds and whips, chains and handcuffs on the walls. He also said he had been involved in the “training of slaves” for more than 20 years and had customers from New York City to Boston, according to court documents.
According to the Hartford Courant, State Police Detective Samantha McCord began investigating Hessler in October during an ongoing investigation into child prostitution and trafficking. He was found using an email registered to his business, daddydomboss@baymontct.com, while seeking photos of young Mexican girls to set up “casting couch interviews,” police said in an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by the newspaper.
The detective began communicating with Hessler using an undercover persona and claiming to have a shared interest in young girls. According to court documents, the detective sent him a photo of a female law enforcement officer taken when she was under 16, and Hessler complained the girl was too old, the Courant reports. During the conversations, Hessler told McCord he had an “an elaborate sado-masochism room with multiple beds with whips and chains and handfuffs on the wall,” and shared a photo of a heavy metal cage with a padlock on the wall.
Hessler asked the undercover detective to bring a 12-year-old “DCF/foster kid” to his “slave quarters” so he could train her and sexually assault her, according to court documents. He said the girl could be dropped off at his camper on the hotel property in Manchester and he would leave money inside, the Courant reports.
McCord set up a meeting with Hessler on Tuesday, telling him a “sixth grade” girl would be dropped off at the camper in exchange for $500. According to the affidavit, the girl would be handcuffed, gagged and blindfoled with equipment left by Hessler in the trailer. He then told the detective to send him a photo of her when that was done, and he would respond with where the money was hidden, according to the affidavit.
The Courant reports that McCord worked with a “very petite narcotics officer from East Hartford.” The East Hartford officer was handcuffed, put in a black hood and posed in a fetal position on the camper floor, and McCord took a photo of her that was sent to Hessler.
According to the Courant, Hessler respnded immediately with the location of the cash, which was above the kitchen sink. He was arrested when he drove to the scene in a pickup truck and approached the trailer. McCord said in the affidavit taht HEssler admitted he wanted the girl handcuffed and gagged, but said he did not plan to have sex with her.
2. He Is Married With 2 Young Daughters & Has Owned the Manchester Hotel Since 2010
Simon Hessler.
Simon Hessler is married and has two young daughters, according to his wife’s Facebook page. According to court documents obtained by the Hartford Courant, police contacted Hessler’s wife after his arrest and she asked immediately if he had “done something with underage girls.” She also said she found 11 flash drives in their bedroom in Ellington, which were seized by police.
According to Hessler’s Linkedin profile, he has owned and managed the Baymont Inn & Suites of Manchester CT on Taylor Street since October 2010. He purchased the hotel through his company, New England Hospitality Management Incorporated.
Hessler was previously the president and CEO of Hessler Enterprises Incorporated from May 1998 to September 2010, but it is not clear what he did with that business.
3. Hessler Has Been a Volunteer EMT in His Hometown of Ellington Since 2007 & Was Elected as Vice President & Assistant Chief in 2017
FacebookSimon Hessler’s Facebook profile photo.
Simon Hessler has been a volunteer EMT in his hometown of Ellington since 2007, according to his Linkedin profile. In 2017, Hessler was elected as the vice president and assistant chief of the Ellington Volunter Ambulance department. He is also an EMT and driver. According to state records, Hessler is a licensed EMT.
Hessler previously served as a volunteer EMT and ambulance driver with the Bloomfield Volunteer Ambulance Corporation from 1998 to 2013. On Linkedin, Hessler wrote that he, “Took a leave for several years and then was offered the position of deputy chief in charge of the training division.”
He was also an EMT and driver with the Windsor Volunteer Ambulance Corporation from 1998 to 2008, and said he, “held many positions such as scheduler, lieutenant etc.”
Representatives of Ellington Volunteer Ambulance, Bloomfield Volunteer Ambulance and Windsor Volunteer Ambulance did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Heavy.
4. He Is Originally From Switzerland & Graduated From Scarsdale High School in New York Before Attending the University of Hartford
FacebookSimon Hessler.
Hessler was born in Liestal, Switzerland, according to his Facebook page. He graduated from Scarsdale High School in New York in 1991. He then attended the University of Hartford.
On his hotel’s website, Hessler said it was his dream to work in the hospitality business.
“I had a dream as a child to create and offer a special home-feel hotel experience to guests… the way hotels used to be,” he wrote. “I am very fortunate that my vision is believed and shared. We have become a memorable hotel destination for countless guests and repeat travelers. We are blessed and will continue improving and designing to match your needs/expectations. Customer Service, cleanness, safety and uniqueness is the priority here at my property. All from a child’s eyes many decades ago…”
5. Hessler Is Being Held on $1 Million Bail
Simon Hessler.
Hessler appeared in court for the first time Wednesday in Manchester and had his bail raised from $250,000 to $1 million. He remained in custody as of Wednesday night. Hessler is scheduled to return to State Superior Court in Manchester on December 12, records show. It is not clear if he has hired an attorney.
Connecticut State Police said anyone with information about potential victims connected to Hessler should call investigators at 203-427-4062.
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