3/31/2014 – Durant, OK — A multi-juridictional online prostitution sting in Bryan County has resulted in the arrest of eight alleged prostitutes, two ‘Johns’, one pimp, three human traffickers and the identification of at least three human trafficking victims – and all in a single day.

According to public records and media reports, the investigation, dubbed ‘Operation Dark Night,’ was the result of efforts by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN – human trafficking unit), Bureau of Indian Affairs, and tribal and Durant police.

The investigation, conducted last Thursday evening, targeted prostitution advertised and solicited on Websites that are dedicated to promoting such criminal activities.

The arrests reportedly took place at two separate Durant locations; one at a hotel near Main Street and Highway 69/75 and the other at the Choctaw Casino Hotel.

The OBN reports that 15-individuals were taken into custody.

Two of those individuals, Luther Walker, 37, and Javon Pazon, 22, are said to have traveled to Durant from Dallas with an unnamed 17-year old and 23-year old Ariel Porter with the intent to prostitute them after striking a $900 deal with undercover officers.

It has been reported that all of the ‘Johns’ arrested were from the Durant area. Of the alleged pimps and prostitutes taken into custody, one was from Ardmore and the rest are reportedly from the Dallas area.

Of those arrested at the Choctaw Casino Hotel, only one was from Oklahoma (Ardmore), while the rest were from the Dallas/Fort Worth areas.

One of the women identified by investigators as a victim of human trafficking is said to be a minor and was placed in the custody of the Department of Homeland Security. The two adult human trafficking victims were identified as foreigners and taken to shelters.

Eleven of those busted in the sting have been identified as;

1. Javon Brayana Pazon, 22 - Charged with felony pandering and transporting a minor for the purpose of prostitution.
2. Luther Dewayne Walker, 37 - Charged with felony pandering, transporting a minor for the purpose of prostitution and possession of meth.
3. Cai Qing Chao – Faces prostitution charges.
4. Curry Devon Truitt – Faces prostitution charges.
5. Ryan Michael Wright - Faces prostitution charges.
6. Daniel John Mester II, 31 – Charged with misdemeanor soliciting prostitution.
7. Gary Wayne Clark, 45 – Charged with misdemeanor soliciting prostitution.
8. Rigina Marie Archibald, 41 – Charged with misdemeanor soliciting prostitution.
9. Teresa Anne Kiley, 30 – Charged with misdemeanor soliciting prostitution.
10. Whitney Jean Ellis, 26 – Charged with misdemeanor soliciting prostitution.
11. Ariel Danielle Porter, 23 – Charged with misdemeanor soliciting prostitution.

The post ‘Operation Dark Night’; Internet prostitution sting in Durant leads to over a dozen arrests in one night appeared first on JohnTV.

4/1/2014 – New Gloucester, MN — A woman from Oklahoma will be the keynote speaker at the ‘Not Here’ human trafficking conference next week in New Gloucester, Maine.

Stephanie Henry, 49, of Blackwell, Oklahoma is proudly identified as many things; devoted wife and mother, author, activist and public speaker – but what she refuses to allow herself to be identified as is a victim.

Henry has overcome many obstacles in her life that often revolved around or were the direct result of her sexual exploitation by others.

Her book, If Only I Could Sleep (published Oct. 2013), is described as…

Stephanie Henry’s childhood took an unexpected turn when her granduncle molested her. The soul-crushing experience was but the first in a series of sexual abuse perpetrated by family members and strangers that wrecked her self-esteem and left her feeling isolated, guilt-ridden, and confused. Out of necessity, Stephanie became an instant expert at survival and a student of spiritual endurance.

Desperate to regain some sense of control, she began an emotionally shattering struggle with bulimia and the curse of having ”the look” men desire. After slipping through the education system, multiple suicide attempts, years of working as a stripper, losing custody of her daughter, battling drugs and alcohol, and enduring a string of ill-fated marriages, Stephanie put her life on course by reaching out to others and fighting for voiceless victims of exploitation around the world.

As a young adult Henry was coerced into working at a strip club along I-40 in Oklahoma City, where she says she often saw men coax young, desperate women in leave with them.

Henry will share her experience of molestation, rape, exploitation and recovery at the New Gloucester forum, April 10-11 at the Pinelands Farms.

The post Oklahoma sexual exploitation survivor to be keynote speaker at ‘Not Here’ human trafficking conference in Maine appeared first on JohnTV.

Starting Jan 2, 2014 JohnTV began selecting questions posted by the public to videos on our YouTube channel to publish here and expand upon.

You can see all the Frequently Asked Questions at this link or from the menu bar ‘JohnTV Specific’ > ‘FAQ.’

One of the most common questions or comments JohnTV receives regarding illegal prostitution and sex trafficking is one that goes something like this…. “You know, the answer to the problems associated with prostitution is simple – just legalize it and regulate it. That way its off the streets, you remove the pimps and the women are safe and tested.”

Here are some examples….

Question: “If we legalized prostitution wouldn’t that make it safer, less stigmatized, remove the pimps, generate tax revenue and stop illegal prostitution and sex trafficking?”

Answer: (4/7/2014 by Brian Bates) The short answer is “No” to all of the above. Legalization of prostitution does not make the act safer, less stigmatized, it does not remove pimps from the equation nor generate significant tax revenue and does not stop illegal prostitution or the sex-trafficking of adults or children.

If I’m right and the pro-legalization people are wrong, then why do so many people believe the legalization myth?

Why does the myth of legalization continue to be so popular? Several reasons; One, its just easier to point to a mythical magic bullet and then move along without having to deal with the reality. Two, a vastly uneducated public points to examples like the legalized brothels in Amsterdam and Nevada and the legalization efforts in places like France and Australia. The problem is, beyond the headline, hype and wishful thinking the reality is that these examples serve only to prove that legalization does more harm than good.

Since 2012 JohnTV.com has had an in-depth article posted entitled ‘Legalization as a solution?‘ You can find a link to the article from every page on JohnTV along the top navigational bar.

I have cut-and-pasted that article below…

Every non US country that has legalized prostitution still faces problems of illegal street prostitution, organized crime infiltrating prostitution, and trafficking of both adults and children. So much so that several countries (including Amsterdam in the Netherlands and France) are scaling back legalized prostitution or looking to eliminate it completely.

Even in the US the legalization of prostitution in most of Nevada has done nothing to curtail the illegal prostitution that runs rampant in cities like Las Vegas. In fact, legal prostitution does not decrease the rapes of women in Nevada. Quite the opposite. Nevada’s women are raped at rates that are twice that of New York and a fourth higher than the U.S. average. Women are three times as likely to be raped in Las Vegas as compared to New York City.

The problem with legalization as a solution is complex.

For my argument I am primarily dealing with the types of prostitution we target at JohnTV; public, forced and organized.

One of the very first problems is the fact that those involved in prostitution often have no regard for the law or are unable to work within the limitations of the law – Either because their lives revolve around criminal activity (drug use, drug distribution, theft, etc.), the stigmatism associated with prostitution, the inability to qualify to work within a regulated system or the overwhelming temptation to conceal a mostly cash income from the IRS.

Legalization in Nevada has proven that most women involved in prostitution opt-out of working legally within licensed brothels – most likely due to one or more of the reasons given in the paragraph above. Recent estimates show that as few as 300 women actually are working at any one time in all of Nevada’s legal brothels, while it is estimated that many times that number work illegally in Las Vegas alone.

Legalization has also proven that providing a legal option for ‘Johns’ has no measurable effect on lessening the demand for illegal street, escort, child and forced prostitution. The FBI recently identified Las Vegas as one of 14 cities in the US with the highest rates of child prostitution. The U.S. Justice Department also named Las Vegas among the 17 most likely destinations for human trafficking. Vegas authorities estimate approx. 400 juveniles are picked up by police for prostitution every year.

Women working within a legalized system are not as equal a working class as many Americans believe they would be. Under a legalized system, and as it currently stands in Nevada, prostitutes are considered independent contractors and do not receive unemployment, retirement or health benefits. Also, Nevada law requires prostitutes to work a minimum of 9 days in a row.

Also, legalization has not proven to make prostitution safer for those who participate in it. A great read on this topic is Prostitution & Trafficking in Nevada: Making the connections by Melissa Farley. Many women involved in legal prostitution report continued victimization. The victimization comes in many forms: such as violence by pimps who make the women available to legal brothels, exposure and pressure to take drugs provided within the brothels and brothel owners who keep the women as virtual prisoners by not allowing them have a vehicle on the property, come and go as they wish or even allowed a cell phone.

Many people argue that legalized prostitution mandates health checks, thus eliminating the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. In reality however, the tests are designed to protect the male customers and not the female workers as only the prostitutes are required to be disease free. Most people do not realize that in Nevada STD tests are limited to weekly checkups for gonorrhea and Chlamydia and only monthly for HIV and syphilis. Both the prostitute and the John are open for exposure to disease within the windows of opportunity between tests and many STD’s like venereal warts and Herpes are not even tested for. Condoms are required for all oral, vaginal and rectal intercourse, but many argue the fact illegal prostitutes do not often require condoms only feeds the demand.

Most importantly when dealing with all forms of prostitution is the fact that legalization requires regulation. Regulation is political and expensive to enact and enforce. Not to mention legalization would require our limited law enforcement resources to be divided between enforcing regulated prostitution and continuing to fight illegal prostitution.

Specifically when dealing with public prostitution, a regulated system would have little impact on taking prostitutes off the streets because most would not qualify to work legally. Under virtually any model of a legalized system the following criteria would have to be met; the individual must be at least 21-years old, have no sexually transmitted diseases, be drug free, and have no felony convictions. Many street prostitutes would fail to qualify to work legally based on one or all four of those requirements.

Additionally, to work within a legalized system there has to be a way of licensing not only the brothels but the individual prostitutes. This creates another problem. There is a huge stigmatism that comes with being identified as someone working as a prostitute. Not many women are comfortable with the idea that there is one or more databases that would contain their identifying information and label them as a hooker. Also, many women who enter into prostitution do so convincing themselves it is a temporary situation to achieve a most often financial goal (pay off a debt, pay for an education, buy a car, subsidies their income during a time of unemployment or under-employment, etc.). If a woman is convinced her time as a prostitute is limited, she most likely will not want her name appearing in a hooker database where it could create problems for her in the future.

The overall idea of legalized prostitution does not sit well with most Americans.

We live in a society where legalization is most often equated with acceptable behavior. Do we as Americans really want to associate prostitution (an activity proven time and time again to be a direct result of abuse and addiction) with an acceptable option for our mothers, sisters, daughters and friends?

Finally, making prostitution legal will turn our government into the pimp for thousands of women in our community.

Supporting Resources:

1. Der Spiegel feature, ‘Unprotected: How Legalizing Prostitution Has Failed‘
2. 2012 study – Legalization of prostitution significantly increases human sex trafficking.
3. Huffington Post (12/13/2013) – ‘Legalize It? Seriously?‘ Editorial by Chris Baughman, former Detective with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police. (internal link)

The post FAQ: Isn’t the solution simple – just legalize it already?!!? appeared first on JohnTV.

4/9/2014 – Stillwater, OK — A Tulsa prostitute that was caught up in Stillwater’s ‘Operation Dragon Slayer’ last year was convicted yesterday; blowing her prediction of victory in court.

JohnTV has twice now reported on the entrepreneurial activities of Tulsa resident, wife, mother and Internet prostitute Shelia Irene Quinn – First, in November of last year when Quinn was arrested along with 25 others in an online sting conducted by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (human trafficking unit), members of the Payne County Sheriff’s Office and the Perkins Police Department. Then again in December, after Quinn made some bold (and foolish) accusations against her arresting officers and predicted her case would never end in a conviction.

SHEILA QUINN, 43.

Quinn, a convicted felon, who until last year owned the Absolute You Salon & Spa in Tulsa, was arrested Nov. 6, 2013 after she placed an ad for prostitution on Backpage.com.

According to court records, Quinn quoted an undercover officer $300 for sexual services.

Despite Quinn’s insistence that she was only guilty of possessing a condom, never solicited sex, and that her charges would most assuredly be dropped – she was criminally charged and pleaded guilty yesterday in a Payne County courtroom.

According to Quinn’s ‘Uniform Plea of Guilty – Summary of Facts’; Quinn pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of ‘soliciting prostitution’ and will be formally sentenced to one-year suspended (supervised), five-days in jail (already served), $1,000 fine, and court costs.

O’yeah, Quinn was also ordered to complete 10-hours of community service. Which we’re pretty certain was probably very confusing to Quinn as she most likely feels that she was providing a ‘community service’ when she was arrested. Which, 10-hours at her currently posted rates, comes to $3,300.

Yes, despite Quinn’s criminal charges, and now criminal conviction and probation – she apparently has not learned her lesson and still has an active ‘verified’ account on a pro-prostitution Internet forum and even has her own website dedicated to her criminal activity.

According to Quinn’s Facebook page, when she’s not pimping herself out, she’s apparently pimping out health shakes and such as an “independent promoter for Vi.” Vi describes itself as “the fastest growing health challenge in North America.”

Quinn had better be selling a heck of a lot of Vi shakes because a creditor was recently awarded about $10,500 (plus interest) in a judgement against her and her husband.

Quinn, here’s a couple of tips for ya….. First, don’t taunt police with online posts after you’ve been arrested for prostitution. Second, don’t make public predictions your lawyer obviously can’t live up to. Third, and most importantly, despite your online claim that you’re “classy” – you’re a wife and more importantly a mother. Start acting like one and give up the hooking and pay attention to your family.

Quinn as seen on her prostitution profile online.

The post Tulsa prostitute blows prosecution prediction appeared first on JohnTV.

4/11/2014 – OKC, OK — An Edmond man who admitted to the sex trafficking of a pregnant 16-year old has been given probation and the chance to clear his record.

In a decision that defies logic and reminds Oklahoman’s once more that our children are not our justice system’s priority, the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s office approves a get out of jail free card to a man who repeatedly pimped out a pregnant teenager.

JohnTV was the first to break the news of the May 2013 arrest of 21-year-old Joshua Ray Hudson for human trafficking.

According to court records and sources close to the case, Hudson was trafficking a girl he first met when she was only 15 and already pregnant.

Hudson was taken into custody after members of the Oklahoma City Vice Unit received information that a missing 16-year old was being prostituted on Backpage.com out of the Broadway Suites at 1305 S. Broadway in Edmond.

An undercover officer pretending to be a ‘John’ went to Hudson’s rented room and discovered the minor – who agreed to provide both oral and vaginal sex for $140.

Hudson was reportedly located nearby and was “electronically monitoring the youth.”

A 17-year old male was also reportedly with Hudson and the young girl and was also being treated as a victim at the time Hudson’s arrest.

JohnTV reported on Hudson again in June of last year after he was formally charged in Oklahoma County with felony human trafficking.

According to the probable cause affidavit in Hudson’s case, Hudson told arresting officers that he posted the prostitution ads of the teen online, suggested to her what prices to charge and even collected the money paid to her for sex.

Hudson also had in his possession a credit card used to pay for the online sex ads.

In August of last year JohnTV reported on Hudson’s July 3, guilty plea to the felony charge of human trafficking.

In Hudson’s ‘Plea of Guilty and Summary of Facts’ he stated quite clearly,

“On May 9, 2013, in Oklahoma County, I knowingly and willfully harbored and maintained [the juvenile female], a person under 18 years old, for the purpose of engaging [the juvenile female] in a commercial sex act.”

Believe it or not, in Oklahoma, human trafficking – even the sexual trafficking of a 16-year-old – is not considered a ‘violent crime.’ That fact, in combination with Hudson’s age (18-21) means that Hudson must first be sent to Regimented Inmate Discipline (RID) before formal sentencing.

On April 4 of this year, Hudson, having completed about eight months of in-custody RID, stood once again in front of Oklahoma County Judge Glenn Jones for formal sentencing.

According to court paperwork, Hudson was facing a sentence of 10-years to life in prison.

The public’s expectation is that when prosecutors consider a plea agreement and punishment, the defendant’s past record should play a significant part in how lenient the courts should or should not be.

According to public records, Hudson has three prior misdemeanor adjudications as a minor and a driving under suspension in Logan County, DUI and reckless driving in Oklahoma County, followed by another case in Oklahoma County for DUI, driving with an expired tag and operating a motorcycle without a motorcycle endorsement.

In fact, Hudson’s other unresolved Oklahoma County criminal cases for DUI and reckless driving were wrapped up into his human trafficking case.

Also revealed in court documents is that Hudson had received prior warning that he was being investigated for pimping out the victim in this case at least a week before his arrest.

According to previously undisclosed documents, federal agents made contact with Hudson and the minor during another prostitution sting. For reasons that have never been made clear, Hudson was not arrested at that time but was warned he was known to law enforcement.

In a move that has yet to be publicly acknowledged or explained by Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater, Assistant District Attorney Robert McClatchie agreed to a plea bargain that allowed Hudson to rescind his guilty plea for human sex trafficking and enter instead a guilty plea to computer crimes violations. A felony charge that can still result in a felony record and prison time. But no, once again the wheels of justice fail to meet even the public’s minimum expectations and instead further the victimization of our youth.

Hudson was formally sentenced to eight-years deferred – total – for child sex trafficking, DUI and reckless driving.

What does that mean? It means, despite Hudson’s statements to police that he did indeed prostitute the young girl and despite his own guilty plea to human sex trafficking, the Oklahoma County DA’s office agreed to place Hudson on probation, aid him in avoiding a criminal record and give him the opportunity to have the entire matter expunged in the future. No conviction, no record, no prison sentence, no public record warning future employers, co-workers or  significant others.

In an interview with Lacie Lowry of KWTV News9, JohnTV’s Brian Bates summed it up best when he said,

“If I sold your daughter a small amount of drugs, any drugs, I most assuredly will get a felony conviction and prison time. But if I literally sell your daughter, I get nothing…”

Of course, should any Oklahoman really be surprised in this ‘hug a thug’ mentality? Readers will recall that in January of last year, Oklahoma City Police Detective Robert ‘Rob’ Kemmet (member of the OCPD Predator Interdiction Unit) declared Oklahoma’s trafficked children as ‘insignificant.’

You’ll also recall that a Oklahoma man who admitted to responding to a Craigslist ad for sex and ended up raping a six-year-old autistic child was only sentenced to 75-weeks in prison as part of yet another disgusting plea deal within our ‘justice’ system.

And, lets not forgot the former Oklahoma County jailer, Timothy Romero Oakes Jr., who was directly tied to the sex trafficking of a 15-year-old but never criminally charged.

Lets all be reminded, this is the reality of prostitution and human trafficking in Oklahoma.

Below are some interesting (if not totally misguided comments from around the web);

Comment left by Hudson’s mother to the JohnTV Facebook page.

Comment at News9.com from a woman who had Hudson’s baby as a teenager.

OK County public defender’s comment; apparently has a bleeding heart for child sex traffickers.

Joshua Hudson, 21, jail booking information.

Hudson’s own writing, admitting what he did. Yet he receives no criminal record..

The post Edmond man who previously pled guilty to sex trafficking pregnant teen given probation appeared first on JohnTV.

4/13/2014 – Anaheim, CA — Two registered sex offenders in California have been arrested as suspects in the murders of at least four female prostitutes in Orange County – one victim is said to be Jarrae Estepp from Oklahoma.

According to published reports, Franc Cano, 27, and Steven Dean Gordon, 45, were arrested Friday evening as part of a joint investigation by Anaheim and Santa Ana police.

Now considered possible serial killers, Cano and Gordon are reported to be registered sex offenders who were required to were ankle monitors that tracked their locations.

Police began investigating the ties between the disappearances of three women connected to prostitution who disappeared from an area of Santa Ana known for the persistent presence of street prostitutes.

Kianna Jackson, 20, was the first to disappear last October. Two weeks later Josephine Vargas, 34, vanished – followed by Martha Anaya, 28, on Nov. 12.

Kianna Jackson, 20, Josephine Vargas, 34, & Martha, Anaya, 28.

None of the three women’s bodies have been found.

As reported by JohnTV, Oklahoma resident Jarrae Nikole Estepp, 21, was found murdered, naked, face down on a conveyor belt in a Anaheim recycling center last month.

Estepp was well known to JohnTV and local non-profit No Boundaries International (NBI).

NBI held a candlelight vigil for Estepp just days after her body was discovered.

Investigators say there is strong evidence that Cano and Gordon are directly tied to the murder of Estepp.

Police believe the two men could also be responsible for additional murders. A press conference is scheduled for Monday at 4 p.m. in California.

JohnTV will continue to follow this case.

Jarrae Estepp as seen on S. Robinson Ave. in OKC.

The post Two registered sex offender serial killers arrested – suspected of Killing Jarrae Estepp appeared first on JohnTV.

4/14/2014 – Seychelles — Two former Navy SEALS working as private security contractors aboard a infamous cargo ship sailing off the coast of Africa were found dead earlier this year – investigators say the men spent the night with prostitutes and buying drugs.

According to published reports, Mark Kennedy, 44, (see photo left) a married father from Baton Rouge, was found dead in a locked room with a syringe containing trace amounts of heroin on Feb. 18.  Also in the room was the body of Jeffrey Reynolds, 43.

The official cause of death for both men has been ruled as respiratory failure and possible heart attacks brought on by an overdose of illicit drugs (most likely heroin).

Toxicology results from both men are not expect for a few more weeks.

Kennedy was reportedly found lying face up with a syringe in his hand. Reynolds was nearby, slumped on the bed. A brown powder also found in the room is believed to be heroin.

Investigators retracing both men’s steps the evening before they died has revealed the two men dinned together, visited a local casino, drank shots with a group of sailors and then spent the early morning hours before their deaths with two women that have been identified as local prostitutes.

Investigators claim the women took the men to a place where they could by illegal drugs.

No evidence of foul play has been publicly revealed.

Family members of the dead men are calling for an investigation as they say the men had no history of drug use or interactions with prostitutes. Supporters also claim there are at least three hours prior to the men’s deaths (after they met up with the two prostitutes) that are unaccounted for.

Jeffrey Reyonlds (bottom left), Mark Kennedy (top left).

Kennedy’s friends and family referred to him as ‘Captain America’ because of his muscular physique, clean cut appearance and his pride with his healthy lifestyle.

The two men were working as armed guards employed by the Virginia-based maritime private security company, Trident Group.

At the time of their deaths, the two men were guarding the Maersk Alabama on its run from Salalah, Oman with a port of call at Port of Victoria in the Seychelles.

The Maersk Alabama was made famous by the movie Captain Philips – a dramatic retelling of the real-life drama that played out when the ship and crew was taken hostage by four Somali pirates.

Police say if it is determined that the drugs or a substance within the drugs killed the two men, that criminal charges could be field against the drug dealer(s).

The post Two ex-Navy SEALS dead after night with two prostitutes overseas appeared first on JohnTV.

4/14/2014 – OKC, OK — The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (human trafficking unit) are set to host a town hall meeting tomorrow night in Oklahoma City to raise awareness to the issue of human trafficking in our state.

According to the OBNDD website; the one-hour public meeting will contain an overview of the different forms of human trafficking, signs and symptoms and resources available. This meeting is reportedly organized by the Oklahoma Drug Endangered Children Alliance.

When: Tuesday, April 15 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: MetroTech Springlake Campus – Metro Career Academy Building (1901 Springlake Dr., OKC, OK)
RSVP: Due to limited seating space, attendees are asked to RSVP via email to blindsey@obn.state.ok.us

Below is a video by JohnTV’s own Brian Bates that puts the Oklahoma issue of prostitution and human trafficking into perspective.

The post OBNDD to host town hall human trafficking awareness meeting tomorrow night in OKC appeared first on JohnTV.

4/14/2014 – OKC, OK — While the stereotype that persists for pimps is often the young black male, Oklahoma City got a dose of reality when a white female in her 20′s was arrested in the metro for pimping another woman last month.

According to police reports, undercover officers with the Oklahoma City Vice Unit were responding to suspected prostitution ads on Backpage.com on March 4, when they were directed to the Hospitality Inn at 3709 NW 39th Street.

When the undercover officer arrived at room #211, he was met by two females identified as Jaclyn Lewis (also known by the last name Avance), 29, and Leah Robinson, 20.

According to the probable cause affidavit, “Whenever the younger female [Robinson] had a question she would turn to Lewis for answers.”

Lewis also reportedly told the undercover officer that she “was training the younger female to help her make money and get off the streets.”

Both women were taken into custody after the officer was told to place $125 on top of an entertainment center and Robinson agreed to provide sexual intercourse.

Leah Robinson mugshot.

Robinson was arrested for misdemeanor offering to engage in prostitution and Lewis was arrested on complaints of aiding prostitution and felony computer crimes.

The women’s arrest was reported back in March by KWTV News Ch9′s Lacie Lowry – who interviewed JohnTV.com’s own Brian Bates.

Online records show that Lewis/Avance has priors for writing bogus checks in Canadian and Oklahoma County.

No prior record could be found for Robinson.

On March 12, misdemeanor prostitution charges were formally filed in Oklahoma County against Robinson.

On April 9, an arrest warrant was issued for Robinson after she failed to appear in court.

No formal charges could be found against Lewis.

It is not known why Lewis has not been criminally charged at this point.

Female pimps and human traffickers, while rare, are not unknown to Oklahoma law enforcement.

In Feb. of this year JohnTV reported on the Oklahoma County conviction of local madam, Shannon Marie Johnson, from Chickasha.

In Jan. JohnTV reported on the dismissal of federal human sex trafficking charges against Tulsa woman Alaina Paige Lamecker.

Also in Jan., JohnTV reported on the guilty plea in federal court of an Oklahoma City woman to charges of human sex trafficking.

In Dec. of 2013, JohnTV reported on the conviction of a Tulsa woman for racketeering in relation to her human trafficking activities.

In Sept. of 2013, JohnTV reported on the dismissal of human sex trafficking charges against two women in Oklahoma County.

In Nov. of 2012, JohnTV reported on the arrest of two women for child prostitution.

The post Female pimp and her prostitute arrested in OKC appeared first on JohnTV.

4/14/2014 – Tulsa, OK — A veteran Tulsa cop busted last year in a prostitution sting targeting him has had his charges reduced and receives probation only.

JohnTV first reported on 52-year-old Tulsa Police Corporal David Turner back in Sept. of last year after his arrest.

According to published reports and court records, Turner, a 17-year veteran of the police department, was targeted during an internal investigation after officials received information that Turner was actively involved in criminal activity.

Members of the Tulsa Police Department’s Special Investigations Division and agents with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs arrested Turner after he allegedly agreed to pay a female undercover officer $40 for sexual intercourse and $20 for oral sex.

JohnTV reported on Turner again after he was criminally charged in Tulsa County with felony possession of a firearm while in the commission of a felony crime, and two counts of felony solicitation of prostitution within 1,000′ of a church.

Last week Turner appeared in court for sentencing after previously entering a plea of no contest to the three felony charges.

Even though Turner was a member of law enforcement when arrested and faced a criminal record and jail time, once again the good ol’ boy ‘justice’ system in Oklahoma came to his rescue.

Turner, who has been on administrative leave since being arrested, avoided taking any responsibility for his crimes and his betrayal of his badge when he was sentenced to only two years of probation, no conviction and no criminal record. While Turner will have to pay court costs and administrative fees, he will most likely get to keep his CLEET certification (which means he can continue to work in law enforcement).

No public announcement has been made as to whether or not Turner will be fired from the Tulsa Police Department.

The post Tulsa cop gets probation only on prostitution and firearms arrest appeared first on JohnTV.

4/15/2014 – OKC, OK (by Brian Bates) — Early last week I started getting emails, Facebook posts and text messages from people congratulating me or otherwise letting me know they saw the billboard I had contracted on S. Robinson Ave. – which was news to me, because I haven’t placed any billboards on S. Robinson Ave. (or anywhere else).

So, naturally I had to go take a look for myself – and sure enough, just south of SW 40 and S. Robinson there is indeed a billboard targeting prostitution in the area…

Billboard that recently appeared near SW 40 and S. Robinson Ave.

The black and yellow billboard screams “WARNING, This is a no hooking zone. You are being recorded and will be reported. Your vehicle can be taken away.”

I’m not sure how long the billboard has been there, to be honest, even though I’m on Robinson pretty regularly, I hadn’t noticed it until others started pointing it out.

As for “who’ designed and paid to have the billboard posted – I have no idea, but it has been reported on the news that a property owner in the immediate area sponsored the sign.

Myself and JohnTV’s take on the sign is this…. I think its great whenever residents of a community organize to take ownership in their neighborhood and let others know there are certain behaviors they will not tolerate.

That said, unless the sponsor(s) of the sign is actually referring to my efforts when they claim “You are being recorded and will be reported” then their threats ring pretty hollow – as I’m the only camera present on S. Robinson Avenue and I’m in no way directly connect to this billboard.

I would caution any individuals that may be considering confronting individuals engaged in criminal activity (prostitutes, Johns, pimps) as it can prove extremely dangerous and comes with a fair amount of criminal and civil liability.

In reality, the presence of street prostitutes has been on a steady decline for over a year now – with most of the women who previously loitered along S. Robinson Ave. relocating to the I-40 and Meridian area where they wait in their hotel rooms while trading street corner soliciting for online ads on sites like Backpage.com.

Additionally, ‘No hooking’ signs on S. Robinson (and other parts of the city) are nothing new. Though this latest attempt is certainly the most ‘professional’ of any of the previous signs I’ve seen.

Resident living near S. Robinson Ave. tries to keep her children’s play area prostitution free.

Commercial property owner near SW 36 and S. Robinson Ave. fed up with prostitutes loitering nearby.

Taggers even point out the obvious along near SW 43 and S. Robinson Ave.

This girl, sitting in front of her home on S. Robinson, had to make a sign to ward off passing ‘Johns.’

Gas station in NW OKC had to place these large signs on their property to keep criminals away.

The post New billboard on S. Robinson Ave. declares ‘No Hooking Zone’ appeared first on JohnTV.

4/16/2014 – OKC, OK — Oklahoma City Police arrest 14 during an afternoon sting along the city’s infamous S. Robinson Ave.

As JohnTV previously reported, a new billboard popped up recently near SW 40 and S. Robinson Ave. warning those involved in street prostitution that, “This is a no hooking zone. You are being recorded and will be reported. Your vehicle can be taken away.”

While video recording wasn’t going on yesterday on S. Robinson, police were conducting stings and vehicles were most likely being impounded (not that it means much).

JohnTV never claimed that those involved in prostitution were particularly observant or known for their common sense – but you’d think multiple stories about fed-up residents paying for a billboard to fight off prostitution and a news media live truck literally parked on S. Robinson Ave. might have been a clue to potential ‘Johns’ that police would probably be looking to put a positive spin on the public outrage and they should steer clear of the area.

Just after 4 p.m. JohnTV.com’s own Video Vigilante Brian Bates noticed two things along S. Robinson Ave. – A KOCO live truck preparing to do a live shot for their 5 p.m. newscast and an obvious ‘John Sting’ going on just a couple of blocks away.

People often ask how I interact with police, especially during their undercover street stings.

The image grab, to the left, from my cell phone, gives you a pretty good idea.

I confirm the police activity via text and once confirmed I usually leave the immediate area so police can continue their work without the added distraction.

It is not yet known if last night’s sting was limited to S. Robinson Ave., but JohnTV does know undercover female officers were seen at multiple locations along S. Robinson.

The fact that at least one female was arrested on computer crimes complaints, suggests that at some point the sting moved online.

Published reports say that solicitation prices ranged from $20-$180.

According to public records, the following 8 men and 6 women were arrested overnight for prostitution related offenses;

1. Tyodis (Tiodis) DeWayne Wright, 34, black male, listed as a OKC transient.
   Arrested for offering to engage in prostitution.
2. Jason John Weil, 32, white male, listed as residing in the 200 block of Park Place in Midwest City, OK.
   Arrested for offering to engage in prostitution.
3. Edward Charles Rollen, 57, black male, listed as residing in the 1300 block of SW 33rd in OKC.
   Arrested for offering to engage in prostitution.
4. Franklin Keith Rhodes, 57, white male, listed as residing in the 3000 block of S. I-35 in OKC.
   Arrested for offering to engage in prostitution.
5. Douglas Christopher Qualls, 46, white male, listed as residing in the 3100 block of SW 61st Street in OKC.
   Arrested for offering to engage in an act of lewdness.
6. Armand Zoho Mekontso, 34, black male, listed as residing in the 400 block of W. Britton Rd. in OKC.
   Arrested for offering to engage in prostitution.
7. Gary Vincent Jordan, 33, black male, listed as residing in the 1700 block of Wickliff in OKC.
   Arrested for offering to engage in an act of prostitution.
8. David Lynn Ellis, 50, white male, listed as residing in Checotah, OK.
   Arrested for offering to engage in an act of prostitution.
9. Sheryl Ann Young, 48, white female, listed as residing in OKC.
   Arrested for offering to engage in prostitution.
10. Leslie Ann Sutphin, 41, white female, listed as residing in OKC.
    Arrested for offering to engage in prostitution.
11. Kimberly Ann Speegle, 43, white female, listed as residing in OKC.
    Arrested for offering to engage in prostitution and felony possession of drugs.
12. Evelyn L. Phillmore, 23, black female, listed as residing in OKC.
    Arrested for offering to engage in prostitution and felony computer crimes.
13. Ivory Natosha Jones, 37, black female, listed as residing in OKC.
    Arrested for offering to engage in prostitution.
14. Amy Michelle Sullivan/Albadri, 26, white female, listed as residing in OKC.
    Arrested for offering to engage in prostitution.

JohnTV has said this many, many times…. If you’re going to be engaging in criminal and/or publicly embarrassing activities, its probably best if you refrain from having social media accounts, like Facebook, etc.

As proof positive, take arrested alleged ‘John’ Jason John Weil (yes, that’s his middle name).

He might not look so happy in his mugshot at the bottom of this article, but OG&E employee and Bismarck State College 2011 graduate sure looked positively beaming in the following publicly posted Facebook photos.

As if things weren’t bad enough, it appears Weil’s girlfriend, changed her profile picture just seven days ago to this (which looks a lot like an engagement photo)…

Here’s a heads up for ya Jason…. The ‘for better or worse’ clause only goes into effect AFTER you get married.

The post Prostitution sting on S. Robinson results in 14 arrests appeared first on JohnTV.

4/21/2014 – OKC, OK — The Oklahoma City Police Vice Unit conducted a prostitution sting in the motel district near I-40 and S. Meridian in Oklahoma City last Wednesday and Thursday that resulted in the arrest of at least six women and two men.

While details regarding the arrests are few at this time, public records indicate that the following individuals were taken into custody and booked into the Oklahoma County Jail;

1. Charles Buck Ratcliff, 22, white male, listed as residing in the 6900 block of Caddo Hwy in Caddo, OK.
   Arrested on complaints of offering to engage in prostitution.
   Facebook account.
2. David W. Ansiel, 41, white male, listed as residing on Moore Lane in Durant, OK.
   Arrested on complaints of offering to engage in prostitution.
   Online records indicate he is a principal owner of Ansiel’s Welding and Construction and is a commercial truck driver.
3. Katelyn Nichole Powers, 21, white female, listed as residing in Oklahoma City.
   Arrested on complaints of soliciting prostitution and felony computer crimes.
   Received a deferred sentence in 2011 for misdemeanor prostitution.
4. Louella Morton, 27, Indian female, listed as residing in Oklahoma City.
   Arrested on complaints of offering to engage in prostitution, felony computer crimes failure to appear and possession of marijuana.
   Is currently on probation for a 2012 conviction for felony computer crimes and offering to engage.
   Has a 2011 conviction for misdemeanor prostitution.
   Has a 2007 conviction for misdemeanor prostitution.
5. Jessica Baldwin, 20, black female, listed as residing in Midwest City, OK.
   Arrested on complaints of prostitution and felony computer crimes.
   Currently on probation for a 2012 conviction for aiding and abetting prostitution (aka, pimping).
6. Gennifer Shantanice Bridgewater, 22, black female, listed as residing in Oklahoma City.
   Arrested on complaints of prostitution and felony computer crimes.
   Has prior felony convictions for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm while in commission of a felony crime.
   DOC record.
7. Xialing Dong, 40, oriental female, listed as residing in The Village, OK.
   Arrested on complaints of offering to engage in prostitution.
8. Maohua Jiang, 41, oriental female, listed as residing in Sangabriel, CA.
   Arrested on complaints of engaging prostitution.

Baldwin posted about her arrest to her Facebook page and JohnTV found the responses from her ‘friends’ an interesting look into the life of a woman who appears to prostitute of her own free will.

Facebook conversation regarding Baldwin’s arrest.

While it is believed most of the arrests occurred near I-40 and Meridian, JohnTV has received word that a couple of the arrests may have occurred in other parts of the city.

In recent years several of the motels along S. Meridian Ave. have become a haven for pimps, human traffickers, prostitutes and drug dealers. Many women who formerly solicited along S. Robinson Ave. in south OKC have relocated to the cheap motels primarily located near S. Meridian and Reno, just north of I-40.

In fact, three of the females arrested in this sting (Powers, Morton, Baldwin) are all known to JohnTV as having a former regular appearance on S. Robinson.

This sting comes just a day after Oklahoma City Vice officers conducted a similar sting along S. Robinson that resulted in the arrest of 14 individuals.

Charles Buck Ratcliff Oklahoma County Jail Booking Information.

David Wayne Ansiel Oklahoma County Jail Booking Information. 

Louella Morton on S. Robinson Ave. 2011.

Katelyn Powers’ Backpage ad that police responded to.

Charles Ratcliff as he appears in a publicly posted Facebook photo.

Jessica Baldwin as she appears on Instagram.

Mugshots of six of those arrested in last week’s sting.

The post S. Meridian prostitution sting results in eight arrests appeared first on JohnTV.

4/21/2013 – Norman, OK — At least 19 people arrested in a prostitution sting last month in Norman were issued ‘traffic tickets’ in a move that has JohnTV questioning the level of commitment prosecutors have in pursuing such criminal activity.

JohnTV’s own Brian Bates, aka the Video Vigilante, was made aware of a prostitution sting being conducted in Cleveland County in early March. However, JohnTV did not look into the fallout of the sting until last week. That’s when we noticed something startling – the alleged ‘Johns’ and prostitutes were all given traffic citations instead of the customary and more appropriate misdemeanor or even felony criminal charges.

KOKH Fox 25′s Chelsea Washinton reported on JohnTV’s findings and response from Cleveland Clounty District Attorney Greg Mashburn…

JohnTV speculated early on that the only reason to charge prostitution offenders as traffic offenses was either to keep the arrests off the media’s and JohnTV’s radar, to avoid transporting the offenders to the County Jail due to jail overcrowding or because Cleveland County DA Mashburn is once again making it very clear he is extremely soft on sex offenders.

Regardless, public records indicate that at least 19 individuals were cited for prostitution offenses on March 6, by the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Department during the sting and have been identified as;

1. Shelton John Eckart, white male, 43, listed as residing in the 15100 block of SE 136th in Newalla, OK.
   Listed employer; AT&T Norman.
   Issued a traffic citation for ‘soliciting prostitution.’
   Location; Copperfield Inn & Suites in Norman.
   Status; Pled no contest on 3/12/2014 and assessed an undisclosed fine.
   Social Media, likely but unverified; Facebook page.
2. Nazmul Arefin, undiscosed race, male, 32, listed as residing in the 1800 block of East Lindsey in Norman, OK.
   Listed Employer; Not listed. JohnTV research indicates that Arefin is a graduate research assistant at OU (see links below).
   Issued a traffic citation for ‘soliciting prostitution.’
   Location; Undisclosed
   Status; Pled guilty on 3/21/2014 – given a $400 fine and 90-days probation.
   Social Media, likely but unverified; LinkedIn profile - Facebook profile – Google+ profile – YouTube account.
3. Kenny James Burrell, white male, 28, listed as residing in the 1800 block of Hunters Ridge Road in Edmond, OK.
   Listed Employer; Not listed
   Issued a traffic citation for ‘soliciting prostitution’
   Location; Undisclosed
   Status; Open
4. Scott D. Schoenherr, undisclosed race, male, 48, listed as residing in Texas.
   Listed employer; Not disclosed.
   Issued a traffic citation for ‘soliciting prostitution.’
   Location; Undisclosed
   Articles; 4/23/2014 ‘Some Texas ‘John’ named Scott Schoenherr doesn’t want you to know he was arrested for prostitution in Norman‘
   Status; Pled guilty 3/21/2014 – given $500 in fines plus court costs and 90-days of probation.
5. Ronald Raymond Julian, white male, 54, listed as residing in Mansfield, TX.
   Listed employer; 4X Construction out of Texas
   Issued a traffic citation for ‘soliciting prostitution.’
   Location; Copperfield Inn & Suites in Norman.
   Status; Pled no contest on 3/17/2014 – given an undisclosed punishment.
6. Jose Maldonado, Hispanic male, 45, listed as residing in the 7600 block of Chestnut Ave. in Hammond, IN.
   Listed employer; Planetech
   Issued a traffic citation for ‘soliciting prostitution.’
   Location; Copperfield Inn & Suites in Norman.
   Status; Pled no contest on 3/14/2014 – given an undisclosed punishment.
7. Arman Zoho Mekontso, black male, 34, listed as residing in the 400 block of West Britton Rd.
   Listed employer; The Harbor (assisted living facility)
   Issued a traffic citation for ‘soliciting prostitution.’
   Location; Copperfield Inn & Suites in Norman.
   Status; Pled guilty on 3/7/2014 – Ordered to pay $771
   Note: Was also arrested a couple of weeks later in an Oklahoma City prostitution sting.
8. Jason Ryan Miller, white male, 21, listed as residing in the 2800 block of Timmons Dr. (apartment).
   Listed employer; US Navy
   Issued a traffic citation for ‘soliciting prostitution.’
   Location; Copperfield Inn & Suites in Norman.
   Status; Open. Arrest warrant issued 4/16/2014 for failure to appear in court.
9. Shane Tyrone Bruner, white male, 30, listed as residing in the 800 block of NW 8th Street in Moore, OK.
   Listed employer; Locke Supply
   Issued a traffic citation for ‘soliciting prostitution.’
   Location; Copperfield Inn & Suites in Norman.
   Status; Open
   Social Media, likely but unverified; LinkedIn profile - Facebook profile.
   Article; 4/22/2014 ‘‘John’ busted in Norman prostitution sting has a childcare business in his home‘
10. Ravinderpal Singh, white male, 29, listed as residing in the 3100 block of Skye Ridge Drive in Norman, OK.
    Listed employer; Undisclosed.
    Issued a traffic citation for ‘soliciting prostitution.’
    Location; Undisclosed.
    Status; Pled no contest on 4/15/2014 – $380 fine plus court costs and 90-days probation.
11. Luther Travis Thompson, black male, 25, listed as residing in the 1020 block of Flamingo Dr. in Oklahoma City.
    Listed employer; Thunder Cuts
    Issued a traffic citation for ‘soliciting prostitution.;
    Location; Undisclosed.
    Status; Open
    Notes: Convicted felon.
12. Darren Bryson Radtke, white male, 25, listed as residing in the 300 block of Mimosa Dr. in Norman, OK.
    Listed employer; Marco’s Pizza.
    Issued a traffic citation for ‘soliciting prostitution.’
    Location; Copperfield Inn & Suites in Norman.
    Status; Pled no contest on 3/11/2014 – given fines and court costs in excess of $696.00
13. Tyler Marie Edens, white female, 30, listed as residing in Tuttle, OK.
    Listed employer; Undisclosed.
    Issued a traffic citation for ‘engaging in prostitution.’
    Location; Undisclosed.
    Status; Open. Arrest warrant issued 4/16/2014 for failure to appear.
    Notes: Convicted felon.
14. J’Lynn Sheree Sartin, white female, 30, listed as residing in Midwest City, OK.
    Listed employer; Undisclosed.
    Isssued a traffic citation for ‘engaging in or soliciting prostitution.’
    Location; Undisclosed.
    Status; Open. Arrest warrant issued 4/16/2014 for failure to appear.
15. Laura Lynn Begley, white female, 44, listed as residing in Midwest City, OK.
    Listed employer; Undisclosed.
    Issued a traffic citation for ‘engaging in or soliciting prostitution.’
    Location; Undisclosed.
    Status; Open.
    Notes: Convicted felon.
16. Stephanie Marie King, white female, 27, listed as residing in Oklahoma City, OK.
    Listed employer; Undisclosed.
    Issued a traffic citation for ‘engaging in or soliciting prostitution.’
    Location; Undisclosed.
    Status; Open
17. Dachell Nishay Bronner, black female, 19, listed as residing in Oklahoma City, OK.
    Listed employer; Undisclosed.
    Issued a traffic citation for engaging in or soliciting prostitution.
    Location; Undisclosed.
    Status; Open.
18. April Lynn Bedzyk, white female, 25, listed as residing in Oklahoma City, OK.
    Listed employer; Undisclosed.
    Issued a traffic citation for ‘engaging in or soliciting prostitution.’
    Location; Undisclosed.
    Status. Open. Arrest warrant issued 4/15/2014 for failure to appear.
19. Shauntelle Omarien Price, black female, 18, listed as residing in Oklahoma City, OK.
    Listed employer; Undisclosed.
    Issued a traffic citation for ‘engaging in prostitution.’
    Location; Undisclosed.
    Status; Open.

The arrests took place at the Comfort Inn & Suites at 840 Copperfield Dr. in Norman.

JohnTV will continue to follow these cases and future prostitution related cases in Cleveland County.

The post 19 people arrested in Cleveland County prostitution sting given ‘traffic tickets’ for prostitution offenses appeared first on JohnTV.

4/22/2014 – Moore, OK — One of the alleged ‘Johns’ busted last month in a Cleveland County prostitution sting apparently has a licensed daycare being run out of his Moore residence by his wife.

Yesterday, JohnTV reported on the March prostitution sting in Norman that resulted in at least 19 criminal defendants being charged with traffic citations as opposed to criminal misdemeanors and/or felonies. Almost half of those cited have already paid their ticket and are waiting out their 90-days of probation.

Within hours of posting yesterday’s article, JohnTV began receiving information on those who had been arrested (that’s the “we” in JohnTV).

One JohnTV fan pointed out that one of the ‘men’ arrested was married and that his wife apparently runs a daycare business out of their Moore home.

According to public records, Shane Tyrone Bruner, 30, (Facebook page) was arrested Mar. 6, 2014 around 10:45 p.m. at the Comfort Inn & Suites located at 840 Copperfield in Norman.

Bruner was apparently caught up in a prostitution sting conducted by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (Human Trafficking Unit) and the Cleveland County Sheriff’s office.

Bruner reportedly responded to an online ad placed by undercover officers and then requested specific sexual acts in exchange for money.

Bruner was arrested and cited for ‘soliciting prostitution.’ (see citation, bottom of this article)

Bruner has apparently lawyered up and his case is next set for disposition on May 22nd.

Public records show that Bruner is employed by Locke Supply and that his home address (825 NW 8th Street) in Moore is listed with the Department of Human Services as a licensed daycare facility. While DHS lists the daycare’s name as ‘Tera Bruner’ (Shane’s wife), additional online records indicate the actual name of the business is Lily and Friends Home Childcare Services (Facebook page - page was deleted within an hour of this article being posted).

The daycare has five noncompliance issues listed for 2013 and was last inspected in Jan. of this year.

Publicly posted image from Bruner’s wife’s daycare center (Facebook).

Now, JohnTV isn’t making any allegations against Bruner’s wife or the quality of her daycare facility – we are simply pointing out that public records indicate this alleged prostitute seeking husband apparently had no problem putting so much at risk by allegedly seeking out anonymous sex from a stranger and goes home to a house full of other people’s kids.

Speaking of ‘risk’… Take a look at this publicly posted photo (left) from Lily and Friends Home Childcare Facebook page during their Easter egg hunt. I’m pretty certain that’s a plugged-in miter saw sitting in the backyard within reach of the kids at the daycare and no adult standing guard….. just saying.

JohnTV will continue to follow this case.

Shane Bruner’s prostitution citation.

The post ‘John’ busted in Norman prostitution sting has a childcare business in his home appeared first on JohnTV.

4/23/2014 – Norman, OK — An admitted ‘John’ from Texas was recently busted in a prostitution sting in Norman and he really doesn’t want anyone to know about it.

On Monday JohnTV reported on a Cleveland County prostitution sting that took place in early March at the Comfort Inn & Suites in Norman. The controversial sting resulted in the arrest of at least 12 ‘Johns’ and seven prostitutes.

The ‘controversial’ part comes from the fact that Cleveland County District Attorney (and every sex offenders best friend) Greg Mashburn choose to charge all of the criminal defendants with traffic citations as opposed to traditional and more appropriate misdemeanor and felony charges.

Regardless, one of those ‘Johns’ arrested was 48-year old Scott D. Schoenherr of Arlington, Texas.

According to public records, Schoenherr was arrested around 7 p.m. on the evening of Mar. 6, after he made contact with an undercover officer posing as a prostitute online and agreed to exchange cash for specific sex acts.

A traffic citation for ‘solicitation of prostitution’ was filed against Schoenherr (and 17 of the other defendants) on Mar. 12.

On Mar. 21, Schoenherr appeared in court and pled guilty to the crime of prostitution and was sentenced to a $450 fine, $50 Victims Compensation Assessment, and court and probation fees. Schoenherr was also placed on 60-days of probation that is set to expire on Jun. 1 of this year.

However, in the middle of all of Schoenherr’s court wrangling, his attorney did something we haven’t seen before here at JohnTV. On Mar. 14 (just two days after formal charges were filed), Schoenherr’s attorney filed a motion to have the scanned image of Schenherr’s citation removed from the Internet.

You see, several Oklahoma Counties (including Cleveland County) post many of the official criminal and civil court records online (not Oklahoma County). Often those records include probable cause affidavits (think police report) and scanned copies of the actual traffic citation. Its that scanned image of the traffic citation that Schoenherr wants to keep the public from seeing.

Schoenherr’s motion was granted and the image was removed from the Oklahoma State Court Network (OSCN.net).

Naturally, all that did was get our curiosity up here at JohnTV, so we took a field trip down to Norman to get a copy of the ticket ourselves. And, since we know we’ve now gotten your curiosity up, we’ve posted a copy of the ticket below.

Yes, you see, the great thing about public records is that they are in fact PUBLIC, and even though a judge may agree to remove them from the state’s websites, they can’t order JohnTV to remove them from our website.

JohnTV expects to see Schoenherr’s attorney next filing for an expungement of his client’s record as soon as his probation ends.

JohnTV did some light digging around and so far we are not 100% certain who Schoenherr is – as in where he works and/or why he wanted to make certain his prostitution arrest citation was kept off the public’s radar.

The address he gave arresting officers – 4101 W. Green Oaks in Arlinton, TX – is obviously not his home address, as it comes back to a commercial office and retail area.

If you have any information on Schoenherr, please feel free to leave a comment below or email JohnTV directly.

Scott Schoenherr’s prostitution guilty plea.

Scott Schoenherr’s Prostitution Probation Agreement.

The post Some Texas ‘John’ named Scott Schoenherr doesn’t want you to know he was arrested for prostitution in Norman appeared first on JohnTV.

4/23/2014 – Tulsa, OK — A convicted felon out of Kansas City, MO. was charged last week in Tulsa County with human trafficking after his victim came forward to police.

According to court and published accounts, Demetric Andreal Jackson, 24, was arrested earlier this month by members of the Tulsa Police Department’s Vice Unit after an unidentified woman identified him as her sex trafficker.

Reportedly the girl told police that she met Jackson after she responded to an ad he had placed on Backpage.com.

The girl told authorities that Jackson purchased a Greyhound bus ticket in her name and that she traveled from Kansas City to Tulsa to engage in prostitution.

After she arrived in Tulsa, the girl said that Jackson rented a room at the Tudor Inn on E. Archer St. and then placed prostitution ads on Backpage.com. The girl claims that Jackson setup ‘dates’ with at least 10 men. The girl said Jackson took more than $1,500 from her – which was all of the money she had been paid by her ‘Johns.’

While court records don’t detail how police came into contact with the girl, it would appear undercover officers responding to one of Jackson’s Backpage.com ads arrested her during a sting. After the woman identified Jackson as her pimp/trafficker he was taken into custody nearby.

Last week prosecutors in Tulsa County filed felony human trafficking charges against Jackson, stating, Jackson “unlawfully, feloniously, willfully, wrongfully and knowingly recruited, harbored, maintained, transported, and provided [his victim] through force, threats, and coercion for commercial sex act. Demetric Andreal Jackson coerced [his victim] through threats of physical violence, demanding or claiming money from acts of prostitution, and facilitating and controlling her access to controlled drugs.”

Jackson was convicted of two counts of forgery last year in Jackson County, Mo.

Jackson has been booked into the Tulsa County Jail on a $200,000 bond.

Side note: Lets just hope Tulsa County prosecutors take human trafficking more seriously than Oklahoma County prosecutors. It was just earlier this month that JohnTV reported on the unbelievably light sentenced a confessed child sex trafficker received at the hands of a plea deal by Oklahoma County Assistant DA Robert McClatchie.

The post Missouri man charged with human trafficking in Tulsa appeared first on JohnTV.

4/23/2013 – OKC, OK — (by Brian Bates) I was doing some checking up on some known local prostitutes and pimps by looking over their social media accounts for story ideas and to see what’s going on in the city in their world… Yes, it seems even the criminally inclined can’t resist posting their updates, Instagrams, Tweets and Vines.

As I was looking over some pretty head shaking pics, quotes and videos I was taken back by a feature I had previously taken for granted on Facebook – the ‘A Look Back’ Feature – Described by Facebook as, “A Look Back is an experience that compiles your highlights since joining Facebook. Depending on how long you’ve been on Facebook and how much you’ve shared, you’ll see a movie, a collection of photos or a thank you card.”

Below is an example as seen on Facebook’s official YouTube channel…

If you have a Facebook account then you’re probably already familiar with the feature – if not, you can create your own here (you need to be logged in to Facebook first).

Something I noticed was that many of the women I know to be prostitutes (and a few of the pimps) in Oklahoma City have also created their own videos with the ‘A Look Back’ feature. The difference being that (at least for me) the feeling one gets when watching these videos has an effect that is in sharp contrast to the smiles one often experiences when watching most ‘A Look Back’ profiles filled with vacation pics, baby photos and embarrassing high school hairdos.

Here’s an example of one ‘A Look Back’ video posted on the Facebook page of an Oklahoma City prostitute that is known to work both S. Robinson Ave. and Backpage.com.

Instead of seeing precious moments you’d want to last a lifetime, you see lives wasted, youth lost and a foreshadowing of a future that most likely will end in death or incarceration.

I post this in hopes of providing insights to a world most of us have never experienced first hand and would never wish upon our worst enemy.

The post Facebook’s ‘A Look Back’ isn’t so cheery when seen through the page of a prostitute appeared first on JohnTV.

4/24/2014 — Three entrepreneurial moms from Missouri think they may have the key to locating missing and endangered youth being sexually exploited online, and the answer may lie within the very photos used to victimize them.

Its no secret, Backpage.com and the like are filled with hundreds of thousands of images of young women being offered up for prostitution behind thinly veiled ads for ‘massage’ or ‘companionship.’

While its true that many of the women who appear in these ads are willingly engaging in the criminal act of prostitution, time and time again it has been shown that a great number of women are being forced to sell themselves at the ruthless hands of pimps and human traffickers.

The online ads can all look eerily the same… The young face of a girl with a half-hearted smile, wearing skimpy lingerie, as she lies across a bed while the tell-tale signs of a motel room are all about in the background.

Its the often very identifiable decor within these hotel rooms that a group of women hope to draw attention to with the goal of locating trafficking victims or at the very least developing clues as to their whereabouts and who may be their victimizer(s).

The online ad below appeared in the Baton Rouge ‘escort’ section of Backpage.com. The woman appearing in the ad was identified as 21-year-old Lindsay Lovell of Muldrow, Oklahoma. As JohnTV.com reported back in Feb., Lovell and 31-year-old Victor Medlock of Fort Smith, AR were taken into custody on suspicion they were sex trafficking a 16-year old female who had runaway from home in the Muldrow area. After police identified the hotel, front desk staff recognized photos of both Lovell and the missing teen.

Molly Hackett, Jane Quinn and Kimberly Ritter are owners and/or operators of Nix Conference and Meeting Management, which already does business with hotels. The three women recognized that making a solid connection between sex trafficking and the exact location where its occurring is at the heart of rescuing the victims and holding their captors accountable for their actions.

The three women are said to be in the development stage of a new website, as part of the Exchange Initiative (Facebook), that will serve as a comprehensive database of interior view photos of motels and hotels across the country.

The hope is that the site – which will be accessible by law enforcement and the public alike – will enable users to match a missing youth’s online prostitution photo with a specific hotel within the website’s database, thus significantly reducing the time between when a young woman goes missing and when she is located.

According to literature available at www.exchangeinitiative.com “the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has requested the creation of a nationwide database consisting of current hotel/motel room photos. This vital information will help organizations like Internet Crimes Against Children and FBI agencies across the country to locate children when photographed in one of these rooms.”

For the project to even get off the ground it needs financing and the public’s participation.

The three women say they need $200,000 to fully develop the website and its database. Beyond monetary obstacles, the site will rely almost exclusively on motel and hotel guests taking the time to snap detailed photos and upload them to the site.

We’re not just talking about a quick pic as you walk in your room door. To be effective users will need to document not only the basic layout of the room but also the bedspread, accent pillows, headboard, wall paper, hanging artwork, carpet, bathroom and even the view from the room’s window.

It has been reported by the media that the St. Louis division of the FBI supports the planned website.

Special agent Dean Bryant has been quoted as saying that with the hotel identified, police can interview cleaning crews and staff to try and determine when the possible victim was there, who is pimping her, how large the criminal organization may be and if surveillance footage from the property exists.

This photo, posted online by a woman involved in prostitution, was identified by JohnTV as photographed out of a Days Inn on S. I-35 in OKC.

JohnTV Editorial Response; JohnTV fully supports the idea behind this project. That said, this project is obviously in its infancy, as media reports only began to surface in March of this year. Even going to the ExchangeInitiative website reveals hardly even a mention of the project – and certainly no way yet to submit or search photos. Which is unfortunate because what all the media coverage did do is put traffickers on notice that they should be mindful of where they take their photos and that plain painted walls in the background are better than scenes with identifiable decor.

Regardless, an early warning to sex traffickers is the least of this projects worries.

First, to be truly effective, this project is going to require far more than $200,000 and needs to be in the hands of extremely competent programmers who understand and utilize algorithms for facial recognition and apply those same algorithms to tangible objects like wallpaper patterns, bedspreads and furnishings – not an easy or inexpensive task.

Second, either the program directors are not being realistic or are intentionally not being transparent about the obvious and very real push back they are going to get from motel and hotel owners/operators.

A hotel chain saying it fully cooperates with law enforcement and has a human rights policy in place is a far cry from embracing having their brand in any way connected to the sexual trafficking of children and adults. The multi-billion dollar hotel industry is not about to remind its guests that human trafficking may be going on in the room next door, let alone asking those same guests to form their own pseudo-CSI Unit – treating each room like some sort of crime scene.

Lastly, while we’re certain public participation will be high initially – it seems that ever since ‘human trafficking’ became the social-ill flavor of the day, every college student and stay at home mom is looking for a way they can combat the problem while exerting as little actual effort as they can – will most likely lead to a flood of vacation interrupted selfies of motel rooms from across the country. But will the momentum be long-lasting? Motel rooms often change decor every few years and unless the pics are kept current and the quantity and quality remains high, this database will quickly become a tool used less often.

Beyond all that, what should the expectations of this project really be?

In an ideal world a missing teen’s photo will be spotted on Backpage.com and in that photo she’ll be standing at an open window in her captors motel room and from that photo investigators will be able to identify the motel chain and location. The landmarks out the window will zero police in on exactly what room the girl is being held in and within hours she’ll be rescued and returned to her loving family.

Unfortunately the world we live in is far from ideal. JohnTV can only speculate based on our own local experiences, but history tells us most of these girls will be trafficked out of the cheapest of motel rooms ($40 night, street to door immediate access and little if any questions or security). These hotels are not often the sort vacationing soccer moms patronize – whom will most likely be the one’s populating the database. Additionally, the photos that often appear in one city’s Backpage.com ads were actually taken days, weeks, or even months earlier in a motel in some other state. Even if by some miracle the motel property is identified, identifying the actual room the girl was in or the exact date she was there will most likely prove to be next to impossible in many cases.

Then there is the reality that a large percentage of ads appearing on Backpage.com and similar sites are simply ‘stolen’ photos from innocent third parties.

JohnTV isn’t trying to throw cold water on this project. Like we said, we support it. We just hope more than good intentions and warm and fuzzy feelings are going into its structure and launch. Only time will tell.

Below is a series of photos from an actual case of a 15-year old girl who was sexually trafficked out of a Oklahoma motel. As you can tell by the photos, it would be extremely difficult (if not impossible) to identity her location based on those photos. This young girl was rescued when Tulsa police responded to the online ad. Unfortunately, as reported by JohnTV, the young girl’s trafficker had her criminal charges dropped by prosecutors for undisclosed reasons.

Example of a 15-year old who was sexually trafficked in Oklahoma.

The post Is crowdsourcing photos of hotel rooms key to locating trafficking victims? appeared first on JohnTV.

4/29/2014 – OKC, OK — An Oklahoma City ‘John’, who was caught by JohnTV’s own Video Vigilante, pleaded guilty last month to prostitution related charges and has been sentenced.

As previously reported by JohnTV, back in Aug. of last year, Efren Gonzales, 49, was caught on video picking up a street prostitute near the corner of SW 43 and S. Robinson Ave. Gonzales then took the female to a nearby apartment complex parking lot in the 4900 block of S. Walker Ave. Once there, Video Vigilante Brian Bates approached Gonzales’ SUV and confronted him and the prostitute in the back seat.

Gonzales and the woman didn’t have much to say at the time and the resulting video was posted to JohnTV’s YouTube channel.

The video has received over 7-million views as of this publication (see video below or click here).

On March 26, Gonzales pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge of ‘prostitution, engaging in an act of lewdness.’

Gonzales was sentenced to one-year suspended (supervised), 40-hours of community service, $200 fine, $200 VCA and court costs.

No other criminal record for Gonzales could be found.

JohnTV Editorial; If Gonzales truly had no priors then his attorney, Jerry Jones, got him a pretty raw deal. It is extremely rare that JohnTV’s see’s ‘Johns’ with no prior record NOT get a deferred sentence – as opposed to the suspended sentence Gonzales received. The difference? With a deferred sentence a criminal defendant technically has not been convicted of anything and in most cases can have the entire incident expunged (or erased) from his record. With a suspended sentence a defendant has a conviction on their record and if they violate the terms of their suspended sentence they can be sent to jail.

The post ‘John’ busted by Video Vigilante pleads guilty appeared first on JohnTV.