Provo police Capt. Cliff Argyle said police conducted a sting on Web sites like Craigslist and Backpage after officers noticed some ads on the sites. Although the ads were not explicitly for sex, Argyle said it was clear they were prostitution ads, setting up times and places to meet.
Within hours, he said, nine men were arrested in the sting. The nine men came from as far north as Park City and as far south as Santaquin looking for sexual services, police say. They ranged in age from 22 to 58, from businessmen to blue-collar workers. Their names have not yet been released, and the men were sent on their way with a citation for patronizing a prostitute, a class B misdemeanor. No cases have been filed in court yet. Argyle said several claimed it was their first time trying to meet a prostitute, while others admitted they had done so before.
All of them knew what they were doing, and police made sure the men were actually looking for a prostitute.
Argyle said it is rare to arrest someone for prostitution in Provo, and a sting of this magnitude has not been done in several years. It is a growing problem across the Wasatch Front, he said, and police are working to get on top of it.
Argyle said Provo police worked with the city attorney and agencies that have done stings in the past in order to get this one done right. Because of the experiences of cities like Orem and Salt Lake City, Argyle said he was not surprised that the sting netted so many offenders. Although such a sting is not common in Provo, Argyle said officers are trying to combat prostitution, and they may take the battle to the source.
