A recent multi-jurisdictional prostitution sting in York County ended in multiple arrests and the discovery a woman police believe to be a victim of trafficking. Northern York County Regional Lt. David Lash told The York Dispatch that the primary objective of the FBI-organized sting was to uncover instances of human trafficking, especially those involving children. “We were lucky to intervene early,” said Lash, who also stated that it was commonplace for officers to suspect that some prostituted-persons had been forced into prostitution.
Police filed charges of trafficking of individuals, involuntary servitude, promoting prostitution, and conspiracy to traffic individuals against Brett Alexander, Gary Alexander, and Sharon Wyatt of Zanesville, Ohio. All four charges against Brett Alexander are felonies, while Gary Alexander and Sharon Wyatt have been charged with three felonies and a misdemeanor.
According to The York Dispatch, the sting began when an undercover state police trooper responded to an advertisement on backpage.com. After making contact with the trafficking victim, she informed the trooper of how much she charged for sex acts through coded language that is often used in the sex industry: “150 roses for an hour, 125 roses for a half an hour, and 75 roses for a short stay.” The officer then met her at the Scottish Inn of Fairview Township, where she was arrested after accepting a $100 payment from the officer. The victim told officers she was staying at the motel with inhabitants of the neighboring room.
A police interview revealed that the four had travelled from Ohio to York County to make extra money through prostitution. Additionally, the victim told police that she did not want to participate in sex work, but was afraid Gary Alexander would kick her out of his house if she did not comply. She said defendant, Sharon Wyatt was responsible for posting the online advertisement the trooper had responded to. Wyatt later denied posting that particular add, but allegedly admitted to posting her own prostitution advertisements in the past. After revealing they had engaged in prostitution activity together, Wyatt allegedly told police the two used cellphones to listen to each other’s encounters to ensure neither of them was in danger.
The CSE Institute applauds the collaborative approach taken by the FBI, Northern York County Regional Police, and Pennsylvania State Police in conducting a sting with an eye towards eradicating sex trafficking, although we would encourage authorities to also focus on pursuing the demand for sex. The CSE Institute also applauds York County in charging Brett and Gary Alexander with trafficking, but implores the government to seek further information regarding Sharon Wyatt’s role in the dynamic before going forward with the charges. Wyatt may be acting in a “bottom girl” capacity for the two men, which means she is actually a victim of sex exploitation, herself. We would encourage law enforcement and prosecutors to use their broad powers of discretion appropriately to ensure justice is sought for this likely victim of trafficking, as continuing to make a conscious effort to correctly spot and fully prosecute instances of trafficking is an important step towards the eradication of commercial sexual exploitation.
All views expressed herein are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or of Villanova University.