James Parham, 75, and Cheryl Chaney, 66, have been arrested on charges of using cocaine and running a prostitution ring out of their apartments in a senior citizen housing complex. The police got involved when residents complained of drunks and addicts hanging around in their building, NorthJersey.com reports.
Parham has admitted to providing young girls as prostitutes to some of the residents of the building. Chaney has also been charged with possession of crack. Selma McDuffie, a 54-year-old school crossing guard, is charged with possession of a crack pipe.
During a safety seminar with the local police in March, “the seniors packed the room and told the chief stories of vagrants passed out in lounge areas, drunks wandering the halls and used condoms in the recreation room.”
Chaney and Parham were neighbors at the Vincente K. Tibbs Senior Citizen Building — housing designated for low-income people over 62. It is a federally funded project with 152 units.
Both Parham and Chaney passed the background check required for living in the complex. Residents are glad to see them, and their nefarious companions, gone. “Things are getting better,” said James Harrison, an 11-year resident. “Druggies and drunks, that’s what used to be here, all day long, day and night.”