Temecula Prostitution Sting Nets 10 Arrests, Murrieta Busted 12

TEMECULA, CA — A week after the Murrieta Police Department announced it arrested 12 people in a prostitution sting, the sheriff's department held a similar operation Tuesday in Temecula that led to 10 arrests.

Deputies conducted a comprehensive "john" prostitution sting in Temecula to "reduce the demand for sex trafficking in the city ...," according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

In the Temecula operation, law enforcement personnel placed decoy posts on popular online classified sites "commonly used for the solicitation of online prostitution," according to the sheriff's department.

When potential johns responded to the ads, an agreement for paid sex was brokered by an undercover deputy. The johns were then arrested when they arrived at the agreed-upon rendezvous spot. The 10 men were booked on suspicion of misdemeanor soliciting prostitution, jail records show.

During the operation, two women — who were believed to be victims of human trafficking and possibly forced into prostitution against their will — were referred to victim services, according to the sheriff's department.

Deputies from the Southwest Station METRO Team and Community Outreach Resources Engagement Team, in partnership with personnel from the Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, participated in the Temecula sting.

Tuesday's law enforcement effort was similar to one conducted Sept. 13 by Murrieta police. In addition to 12 arrests in that operation, including one for pimping, officers also spoke to a woman who was believed to be a human trafficking victim, according to Murrieta police. Read more about the Murrieta operation here.

Another recent law enforcement sting in Southwest Riverside County: Selling Booze To Kids: Lake Elsinore-Wildomar Sting Nets 3 Citations