Kent Police arrested 10 men for investigation of patronizing a prostitute during an undercover sting at the Howard Johnson motel, 1233 Central Ave. N.
The Special Investigations Unit set up the operation for March 25 in an effort to combat the sex industry and those who solicit women and often young girls for sex in exchange for money, according to the police report.
Police placed an advertisement on backpage.com, a website commonly used by pimps and prostitutes to find customers under the guise of escorts, dating or massage services, according to police.
The ad featured a photo of a woman in lingerie in provocative poses under the title of “Blonde Beauty” with a description about the woman, her age of 21 and a phone number to call or text.
An undercover female officer answered the phone calls or text messages. In one case, a man called the number and agreed to pay $90 for sex and to meet the woman at the motel.
When the man arrived at the motel, he received a room number from the woman. When the man knocked on the door, police opened the door and immediately took the man into custody.
The man told officers he had used the website to meet prostitutes five or six times. Police impounded his vehicle, a 2016 Cadillac Escalade.
Police impounded seven vehicles connected with the sting and the arrests.
Woman tries to run over boyfriend
Officers arrested a woman for investigation of reckless driving after she reportedly tried to run over her boyfriend during a dispute at about 9 p.m. on March 24 in the 10800 block of Southeast 230th Street.
The incident started with a call to 911 to report a woman smashing windows of a truck parked in the driveway along Southeast 230th Street, according to the police report.
When officers arrived at the home, they found a Ford Ranger with all of its windows smashed. The woman’s boyfriend told police they had a dispute but he didn’t want any charges brought against the woman. He said he just wanted her to leave.
The woman left the home but then returned about an hour later. Officers returned to the scene and saw the woman driving her silver Mitsubishi sedan in reverse at a high rate of speed toward her boyfriend.
The boyfriend had to jump out of the way of the car, which just missed him by inches, according to police. An officer used the push bars on a patrol vehicle to stop the woman’s sedan up against a parked vehicle.
The woman yelled “Police brutality” and “Someone start filming this,” after she got out of the car.
The woman told police she was just trying to return some of her boyfriend’s tools to him when he ran off. She denied she tried to hit him with her car.
Man waves knife outside store
Police arrested a man for investigation of second-degree assault after he allegedly waved a knife in a slashing motion toward a man at about 4:58 a.m. on March 24 in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven store, 511 Central Ave. S.
The man with the knife reportedly became upset after he asked a clerk for a cigar to buy but made no effort to pay for it so the clerk kept it, according to the police report.
The man went outside and reportedly pulled a knife on a man sweeping the parking lot. The man sweeps the lot as a volunteer to help out the clerks. He told officers the man came at him in a fighting stance and made slashing motions with the knife before walking away.
Officers found the man a short time later walking just down the street from the store. Officers recognized the man from previous contacts. The man denied he made any threats outside the store. He said he just wanted some cigarettes and asked the man to help out a veteran.
Police searched the man and found seven knives in his possession.
Pair caught trespassing, camping
Officers cited a man and a woman for investigation of second-degree criminal trespass after finding them camping on private property on March 27 in the 24500 block of Russell Road South.
The man and woman were each known by officers because of previous contacts, according to the police report. The property owner has an agreement with police to ban people who trespass on the land.
Police found the pair camping at the site. The man told officers they had only been there one night.
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