Ryan ChartrandIn an undercover sting operation, police arrested five suspects from the Central Coast from Nov. 9 to Nov. 15 for allegedly soliciting or agreeing to engage in prostitution.
Investigations began about a year ago when complaints of robberies were taking place through the Web site Craigslist.com.
The site gets more than 30 million hits per month and can be used to look for or advertise housing, local activities, items for sale and romance.
Police got involved after individuals reported that they used the site to order a stripper, but were then robbed instead.
Samantha Wolcott, 19, of San Luis Obispo, was arrested after Mustang Village housing complex management alerted authorities that they suspected one of their residents of using the site to solicit prostitution.
“Someone undercover replied to her ad on Craigslist.com, met her and exchanged money, and talked about sexual acts,” said San Luis Obispo Police Lt. Bill Proll.
Authorities said Wolcott has allegedly been using the site to solicit prostitution at one of the Mustang Village complexes for quite some time.
“I was shocked,” said Mustang Village resident and kinesiology sophomore Jillian Sherman.
“I didn’t feel that I was in any danger living there. I was also surprised that those types of people living in the community were doing things like that and almost getting away with it.”
The second portion of the sting operation took place at Motel 6 North in San Luis Obispo, where four men were arrested for allegedly attempting to purchase sexual acts: Corey Faulkner, 18, of Los Osos, Nichy Dordon, 35, of Atascadero, Cory Lewis, 21, of San Luis Obispo, and Charles Ritter, 56, of Santa Maria.
Each suspect reportedly answered a fake advertisement posted by police and unknowingly met with a female undercover investigator who was posing as a prostitute.
“The men engaged in attempting to purchase sexual acts at the Motel 6 from an undercover female,” Proll said.
Police said that none of the men arrested had any link or connection with Wolcott and that the suspects are not part of a prostitution ring.
The suspects were booked into San Luis Obispo County Jail and their bail was set at $2,000.