AG: 35 arrested across Ohio following human trafficking sting

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Dozens of people across Ohio were arrested over the weekend for trying to buy sex, according to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.

Yost said the statewide human-trafficking operation resulted in the arrest of 35 “Johns” seeking to buy sex and 21 others seeking to buy sex from minors. The 21 arrested face felony charges that include attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.

Many of the 35 people arrested face the enhanced charge of engaging in prostitution, a first-degree misdemeanor championed by Yost's office. Those convicted of the charge must undergo human trafficking education, also known as “John school.”

“On my watch, those who keep human traffickers in business are going to pay a price along with the traffickers themselves,” Yost said in a statement. “My office, with the vital help of our many law enforcement partners, is committed to going after the demand side of this contemptible exploitation of vulnerable young women and girls.”

The sting, titled “Operation Time's Up,” was coordinated under Yost's Ohio Organized Crime Investigation Commission. The operation targeted the demand for human trafficking with a series of stings aimed at arresting buyers of sex, commonly called johns.

The operation also involved the investigation of illicit massage parlors in Cleveland and a statewide search for missing children by the U.S. Marshals Service. “The Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children task force conducted traveler stings to target adult offenders actively seeking out minors using various internet-based chat and dating applications with the ultimate intent to engage in sexual activity,” Franklin County Sheriff Baldwin said in a statement. “Intercepting these predators before they can harm children is paramount to keeping our communities safe.”

Officers who came in contact with those offering to sell sex interviewed them and offered them medical and social services.