Kent Police arrested 12 men for investigation of soliciting prostitution online during an undercover sting at a local hotel.
The sting was set up last week with officers and detectives working in an undercover capacity to identify and arrest suspects soliciting prostitutes online, according to a March 5 Kent Police Facebook post.
“It isn’t hard to find advertisements selling women and men, and in some cases boys and girls, on the internet,” according to a Kent Police statement. “It is difficult to rescue the victims and to locate the perpetrators to hold them accountable. One way is to conduct prostitution stings.”
The operation was implemented to combat the demand for the commercial sex industry by identifying and arresting those who solicit women and often young girls for sex in exchange for money, according to police.
In one day, 12 men were arrested when they showed up at the hotel. Men who arrived in a vehicle to commit the crime had their cars impounded by police.
“All the males were seeking females and had responded to an uncover officer exactly what they wanted and what they would pay,” according to police. “We can’t print the requests here. Most of them immediately asked for a lawyer, so they were not questioned. One suspect admitted his wife was out of town. That man had priors for similar crimes.”
Those arrested were:
• 48-year-old Ruston man
• 55-year-old Kent man
• 31-year-old Kent man
• 42-year-old Seattle man
• 29-year-old Seattle man
• 53-year-old Seattle man
• 23-year-old Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) man
• 52-year-old Sammamish man
• 38-year-old Federal Way man
• 49-year-old Federal Way man
• 38-year-old Tacoma man
• 44-year-old Covington man
The Covington man reportedly struck the arresting officer and fled on foot towards the exit, according to police, but he was unable to figure out how to operate the unlocked exit door and was arrested. He had priors for crimes involving a minor.
“We can’t stress enough that the overwhelming majority of persons in the sex industry are victims who come from circumstances where this activity becomes their survival,” according to police. “Many were children when they started. Some still are. They are preyed upon, fed drugs, controlled, abused and often can’t find a way out. On occasions when they are arrested for soliciting officers, they often attribute escaping the prostitution circuit to their arrest, because they were offered services while in custody.”
Resources for victims
Kent Police provided several resources for victims of prostitution:
• The Genesis Project: https://www.thegenesisproject.life/
• OPS Organization for Prostitution Survivors: https://www.seattleops.org/who-we-are
• National Human Trafficking Resource Center 24/7 HOTLINE 1-888-373-7888
