BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — One girl wanted to leave the motel, and another indicated she was hungry, asking “can we get food please?”

Jashonte Howard ignored them, court filings say, establishing himself as the one in charge, deciding when their work was done, even when they could eat.

Howard, 30, is accused of pimping out women and underage girls, and police arrested him, Katiesha Courter and Allan Harper, 25, in February as part of a human trafficking investigation, according to Bakersfield Police Department. Two juvenile and seven adult victims were identified.

The three are due back in court June 21.

Court filings say police linked a Facebook page to Howard in which he exchanged messages setting up sexual encounters. In one message, Howard tells a girl she’ll get $60, the reports say.

On a different day, the filings say, Howard sends the following message: “The hommie got a room rn tapn let’s make some money. Get a couple dates and get out (sic) own room and we on.”

Police said the term “tapn” means to respond to his location. The rest of the message tells the girl to find men willing to pay for sex.

A female — it’s not clear in the documents if she’s a juvenile — in another message indicates she wants to leave the motel where she’s meeting men, according to the reports. Howard replies by saying he doesn’t care, “establishing himself as the one who makes the calls,” police said.

That included deciding when they ate.

Howard doesn’t respond when a female asks if she can get food, the filings say. Later, she asks if he can get her a soda because she’s “hella thirsty.” He agrees to get the soda, the filings say.

On Jan. 16, Howard sends a message confronting a girl for going behind his back to set up a date, according to the reports. She tells him she needs to pay rent.

“(Expletive) Ill (sic) rob you play wit (sic) me,” Howard says according to the documents.

Undercover investigators gathered further evidence against Howard, following him to a motel room where a female later entered and engaged in apparent prostitution with multiple men, the filings say. Investigators also discovered photos Howard received of girls in lingerie later appeared on a website advertising women for sex, police said.