3 Women Arrested By Rhode Island State Police On Sex Charges: Cops

Another woman and 2 men sharing addresses with those arrested on sex charges were also arrested, police said.

By Joseph Hosey, Patch Staff

Jun 1, 2026 2:49 pm EDT | Updated Jun 1, 2026 3:03 pm EDT

Two women and a man were arrested Friday on sex charges.

Heather Bessette, 36, and Kimberly Leo, 22, were charged with trafficking of a minor — sexual servitude, conspiracy to traffic a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, the Rhode Island State Police said in a media release.

Bessette, a resident of West Warwick, was also charged with providing a controlled substance to a minor, felony assault with dangerous weapon and enticing a minor to leave home, according to the release.

A man with the same Providence Street address as Bessette, 30-year-old Benjamin Brown, was also arrested Friday on charges of providing a controlled substance to a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, the release said.

A man residing at the same address on Manton Avenue in Providence as Leo, 28-year-old Victoria Cesario, was arrested Friday on charges of third-degree sexual assault and warrants charging her with failing to appear in court, according to the release.

Another woman residing at the Manton Avenue address, Marissa Hanley, 29, was arrested Friday on a charge possession of a controlled substance, the release said, and a man living there, 19-year-old Brayeison Morel, was arrested on a warrant charging him with failing to appear in court.

The arrests of Bessette, Leo, Cesario, Hanley and Morel all were the result of a court-authorized search warrant and arrest affidavit, according to the release.

All five were arrested by the state police Special Victims Unit with assistance from the Major Crimes Unit, the Violent Fugitive Task Force, uniformed troopers and members of the Tactical Team, the release said.

Brown was in custody at the Adult Correctional Institutions at the time of his arrest, records show, and was arrested by the Special Victims Unit.

State police Lt. Col. John M. Allen declined to provide additional information, saying the matter was "part of an ongoing investigation," but said information would be made available when it was completed.