Fifteen men ranging from ages 22 to 60 were arrested for prostitution-related crimes following a two-day law enforcement operation at a Lompoc hotel, authorities said.
On Sept. 29 and Oct. 13, law enforcement officers from several agencies were involved in the sting which involved placing a notice on an online public website known for prostitution-related advertisements.
“The advertisement announced the availability of a female willing to engage in sexual acts in exchange for money,” said Kelly Hoover, spokeswoman for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department. “Once the ad was placed, an undercover detective negotiated with an inquiring person, or ‘john,’ a sexual act for an amount of money.
“After the negotiation, the undercover detective gave the person the location of the hotel to meet for the sex act. Once the person arrived at the location, the person was arrested for solicitation of prostitution,” Hoover added.
Twelve men were arrested for suspicion of soliciting prostitution, including Anibal Santos, 30, of Buellton; Victor Juarez, 38, of Oxnard; Rigoberto Ramirez, 31, of Carpinteria; Lester Keebler, 54, of Lompoc; Mark Kempthorne, 33, of Lompoc; Albert Sicoli, 60, of Santa Ynez; Marcos Flores, 22, of Lompoc; Thomas Lee, 21, of Isla Vista; Randell Gonzales, 56, of Lompoc; Jose Bedolla, 33, of Lompoc; Sergio Lopez, 28, of Lompoc; and Pedro Rico, 60, of Lompoc.
Two Lompoc men, Kenneth Batiste, 35, and Robert Forren, 54, face possession of methamphetamine charges along with solicitation of prostitution charges.
Flavio Gomez, 22, of Santa Maria, was arrested during the Oct. 13 operation when he arrived at the location after negotiating a sex act with a person he believed was under the age of 18, Hoover said.
Gomez was booked at the jail on charges of arriving to meet a minor for a lewd purpose and for solicitation of prostitution.
The operation involved members of the Lompoc Police Department, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI and the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office.
The sting is part of an ongoing effort to combat human trafficking in the county, an effort boosted by a federal grant received in late 2016.
Grant funding helped the agencies collaborate to investigate, prosecute and provide victim services, Hoover added.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.