Howard county you will be arrested warning 7/18/2017
On May 13, 2015 Howard county declared war on prostitution. Previously when residents would complain about street prostitution they did street prostitution stings only. Now they have gone to do reverse john stings on the internet. In their first of many series they will be doing many reverse john stings for the foreseeable future. They are pretty good because in the past they have busted prostitutes who screen with references. Fines for johns who have pleaded guilty have had to pay fines as has $500 on top of court costs. Some johns have to post bond as high as $7500. Howard county police are now giving mugshots to the media to shame the johns who have been busted.
Howard County police warn those soliciting sex online:
Our detectives are on Backpage.com
Two men charged with solicitation in first undercover operation; more to come Howard County police want anyone involved in sex trade or trafficking through the popular website “Backpage.com” to be aware that they are being joined on the site by detectives looking for illegal activity. With recent increased awareness about Backpage being used for human trafficking and the sale of sex with women and underage girls, Howard County police have conducted the first in a series of undercover operations to arrest those who are engaging in the illegal activity. “Human trafficking is a serious issue that affects cities, counties and townships around the nation,” said Police Chief Gary Gardner. “Howard County is not immune. But we want to be very clear that we are monitoring Backpage.com, as a known hub for this activity. “Hear our warning: if you are on Backpage.com for sex services, Howard County police officers are there with you. Please know that the use of this site in Howard County now comes with tremendous risk,” said Chief Gardner.
Detectives set up escort ads with undercover female officers May 13 on Backpage.com. They instantly began receiving calls and text messages soliciting sex. The messages continued for nearly four hours. In total, the undercover female officers took 31 phone calls and received 38 text messages. This was the first operation of its kind for Howard County and is intended to serve as a warning to those who use Backpage.com for sex services. In this operation, two men were arrested and charged with solicitation of prostitution Investigators expect that future operations will result in many more arrests. “We’ve put you on notice,” said Chief Gardner. “If you visit Backpage.com to solicit sex in Howard County, you can also expect to visit our detention center.”
2 johns busted in first ever internet john sting in Howard county, Maryland. 5/15/2015
http://www.wbaltv.com/news/2-men-arrested-on-prostitution-charges-in-howard-county/33042746
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/bs-md-ho-backpage-20150515-story.html