Cypress Man Sentenced to 120 Days in OC Jail for Sex Purchasing

CYPRESS, CA—A 45-year-old Cypress man was sentenced to 120 days in Orange County Jail and three years informal probation following pleading guilty to a sex purchasing misdemeanor. James Wayne Barton of Cypress was convicted in July of loitering with the intent to commit prostitution or agreeing to engage in prostitution, according to Deputy District Attorney Jim Bilek.

"The defendant approached a woman whom they believed was a prostitute, or loitered in areas known for prostitution and human trafficking in Orange County," Bilek said in a recent press release. "(Barton) agreed to engage, or loitered with the intent to engage in commercial sex with a woman and was subsequently arrested by law enforcement."

The Garden Grove Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, as well as the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force were responsible for investigating this case.

Members of the task force and the Orange County District Attorney work proactively to protect women and minors from falling victim to commercial sexual exploitation. The task force is a partnership between the Anaheim Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Huntington Beach Police Department, Irvine Police Department, OCDA, OCSD, Santa Ana Police Department, and community and non-profit partners.