Prosecutors in the Kennebunk prostitution case say it will take nearly two more months to complete interviews with people suspecting of hiring Alexis Wright for sex.

In a filing made late last week, the prosecutors said they needed seven weeks to finish those interviews, suggesting it will be months before the full list of suspected “johns” is released to the public. Kennebunk police have so far issued two lists of summonses issued in the case containing 39 names, but Wright reportedly kept a list of clients that contained at least 150 names.

Prosecutors, responding to a motion to dismiss charges against Wright’s codefendant, Mark W. Strong Sr. of Thomaston, also said they need another month to finish “imaging” computer hard drives that have been seized in the case and another two weeks to obtain reports from experts on their analysis of computer and phone records.

Wright, who operated a Zumba exercise studio in town, has pleaded not guilty to 106 counts, including three felonies related to not reporting income on her taxes and receiving public assistance when not eligible. Strong has pleaded not guilty to 59 misdemeanor charges.

The case has brought international attention to Kennebunk, while also prompting local discussion and speculation on who might be on the list of clients. Kennebunk police have said they will continue to follow their normal practice of releasing a list of anyone served a summons every two weeks.

Strong’s lawyer, Daniel Lilley, filed a motion Oct. 15 to have charges dismissed because, he said, prosecutors have not turned over evidence they seized from Strong.

Prosecutors responded last week, saying they had turned over dozens of items, including computer hard drives, CDs, DVDs and 4,238 pages of documents, “paginated and provided in binders.”

The filing also said that “bit by bit images of all the hard drives” are not yet done, but they will be turned over to Lilley once they are completed. Also to be finished are the interviews with suspected “johns,” although prosecutors said the cases against Wright and Strong aren’t dependent on those interviews.

Prosecutors also said they need to finish cellphone and computer analyses and the “results of any Facebook searches.”

The state said it has returned eight computers to Strong and additional evidence, including tax returns and cellphones. But the state said it’s holding additional items it expects to use in the trial, including five computers, hard drives, external drives, nine cameras or camcorders, two iPhones, “surveillance glasses” and night-vision glasses.

Prosecutors allege that Wright ran a prostitution operation at the Zumba studio and a nearby office and taped her encounters with men. They also said she kept “meticulous” records, including the names and addresses of her clients.

Staff Writer Edward D. Murphy can be contacted at 791-6465 or at: emurphy@pressherald.com

 

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