COLUMBUS, Ohio — Last week, 11 Investigates reported that a Terra State Community College board member resigned after being arrested for trying to obtain a prostitute.
On Monday morning, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost revealed that Timothy Myers, 66, of Fremont was just one of 110 potential “Johns” ensnared by a statewide human sex trafficking operation that took place from Oct. 6-12.
More than 100 agencies took part in the operation, including the Toledo Police Department. Twenty-two additional people were arrested for attempting to solicit sex with a minor.
There were also 73 human trafficking survivors discovered. They were not arrested, but instead were offered social services for help in getting out of their situation.
Yost said the operation was named End-OHHT, after the state’s new human trafficking hotline (844-END-OHHT).
“I’ve said it many, many times, and I will continue to say it: Don’t buy sex in Ohio. You don’t know, when you buy sex, whether that person is willingly participating or is being trafficked and there’s someone else in the next room or out in the car that is controlling the transaction,” Yost said. “That means if you buy sex in Toledo, you are complicit. That’s why we don’t view it as a minor offense, but part of the human-trafficking ecosystem.”
Besides Myers, there were six other men from northwest Ohio arrested in the operation: Dontae Evens, 29, Toledo; Mark Gloria, 67, Toledo; Vipol Kumar Patel, 30, Bellevue; Kevin Swartz, 65, Port Clinton; Chad R. Thompson, 41, Bellevue; and Christopher Younce, 40, Castalia.
Those arrested statewide ranged in age from 21 to 71 and included students, business owners and state employees.
Though the operation was termed an anti-human trafficking operation, no suspected human traffickers were arrested.
“We ended up netting 110 arrests of Johns trying to buy sex. This is important because without money, there is no human trafficking,” Yost said. “Without money, the marketplace collapses and the incentive for human trafficking goes away.”
Fourteen people, some from out of town, were booked into Erie County Jail on prostitution charges in the last week. Erie County Sheriff Paul Sigsworth confirmed that part of the operation was centered in the county. He said online ads were used, offering prostitution services. Undercover law enforcement officers communicated with respondents, suggesting a meet-up in Erie County. Sigsworth said several businesses volunteered their buildings for the sting operation.
During the news conference, in which he was surrounded by county sheriffs and members of other state and federal investigative agencies, Yost offered a challenge to prosecutors.
“I’ve been concerned that I hear lots of stories about prosecutors who deal away some of these cases – reduce charges or sometimes dismiss them. I am calling prosecutors of this great state to hold the line. This doesn’t mean that everybody needs to get locked up or get locked up for a long time,” Yost said. “But there have to be consequences. If we’re going to stop human trafficking, there have to be sanctions for the people who are funding this, that are fueling the human trafficking with their money. That means that Johns shouldn’t be getting a slap on the wrist and told not to do it anymore.”
Engaging in prostitution is a first-degree misdemeanor in Ohio. Under the Ohio Revised Code, a first-degree misdemeanor can result in 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.
