Bunny Ranch sex worker Alicia Stapleton appears in court on prostitution charge

FRESNO, California -- Bunny Ranch sex worker Alicia Stapleton came to Fresno court for the first time Tuesday on charges she worked as a prostitute with a Fresno police officer as her pimp.

Sister station Action News broke the story in July 2015 when Fresno police officer Robert Knight was caught up in a prostitution investigation with connections to the world famous Bunny Ranch. Knight resigned from the department and prosecutors charged him with supervision of a prostitute.

Stapleton, the prostitute whom Knight identified as his girlfriend, has been charged for soliciting sex with an undercover officer. Police arrested her for prostitution -- after going through Knight to arrange for sex -- about 30 minutes into the meeting.

Action News discovered a search warrant detailing how officer Knight and Stapleton seemed to work together. Investigators say Knight answered her Craigslist ads, which included photos from inside his Clovis home, and communicated with potential clients via Twitter.