Photo courtesy of Clay Hammac
Eleven “Johns” were arrested Thursday, Sept. 20 after an undercover “reverse” prostitution sting in north Shelby County.
Eleven men were arrested in the Shelby County area on Thursday, Sept. 20, for attempting to pay for sex, a crime that law enforcement says contributes to the sex trafficking industry.
The arrests were made in north Shelby County along the U.S. 280 corridor as part of “Operation Close Out,” an undercover “reverse prostitution” sting carried out by the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force.
“We’ve had a longstanding effort to rescue young ladies and adults who find themselves trapped in the industry of prostitution and sex trafficking,” Captain Clay Hammac, commander of the task force, said.
The operation is the first of its kind carried out by the task force, but Hammac said more operations will come in the future as law enforcement remains vigilant in their efforts to eliminate the demand for sex trafficking and prostitution.
“Our entire motivation is to squash the demand for this,” Hammac said.
Those who are attempting to purchase sex are just as guilty as those trafficking women, Hammac said.
The following men were arrested and charged with soliciting prostitution, a misdemeanor crime punishable by a fine or a short stint in the county jail:
Angelo Louis Petite, 47, Pelham
David Robert Rodriguez, 24, Birmingham
Donell Gomillion, 54, Albertville
Edward Goss, 44, Pinson
Kendrick Ball, 34, Anniston
Lee Glenn, 52, Leeds
Noah Brown, 39, Vestavia Hills
Olbin Jimenez, 24, Birmingham
Terry Lynn Scruggs, 30, Anniston
Thomas Barton Banks, 40, Birmingham
Tylor Martin Street, 31, Birmingham
Anyone with information that will help law enforcement combat sex trafficking is asked to text HELP to 233733 or call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
