Several arrested for prostitution sting

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) – The Missoula County Prosecutor's Office filed 21 new criminal charges this week, 10 more than last week and higher than the weekly average. According to District Attorney Matt Jennings, nine of them were considered violent crimes.

“We had one felony endangerment offense and five property crimes, including three stolen vehicles,” Jennings said. “That happens quite often. Lock your doors. I wasn't always so good at that. When I was younger, I loved growing up in a safe place in Montana and sometimes I left my keys in the ignition, but I don't do that anymore. We had five drug offenses and one misdemeanor.”

On October 22 and 23, the Montana Department of Justice, Missoula Police and the Missoula County Sheriff's Office participated in a joint operation to identify and arrest purchasers of illegal commercial sex.

“This is known as a covert 'John sting,'” Jennings said. “The aim is to curb the demand for prostitution and help in the fight against human trafficking. We had four separate felony arrests for patronizing prostitution. In some of these, illegal narcotics and a firearm were confiscated. Some of these people were involved in other aspects of the criminal justice system.”

Jennings said they are prioritizing these cases because commercial sex also involves a lot of violence, coercion, human trafficking and drug addiction.

READ MORE: Missoula News – Crime Reports

“While this particular case was a sting operation, we as a society have sought to curb the demand for this commercial sex work, knowing full well the harm it causes to our society,” Jennings said. “It exists. It's real. This leaves women seriously injured and caught in a repeating cycle of violence and coercion in their lives. It’s just great to see some of these agencies working together to target the commercial sex trade through operations like this.”

“Not only is this behavior illegal, but it also poses many risks to our communities, such as: B. Human trafficking of adults and children,” said Missoula County Sheriff Jeremiah Petersen. “The great work done this week with our law enforcement partners is creating safer communities for children and adults.”

Nine incidents related to patronizing a prostitute occurred during the operation involving eight adults and one juvenile. Perpetrators were arrested, arrest warrants issued or charged. We will provide further information on this process when all individuals are charged.

The Missoula County Prosecutor's Office provides a weekly crime report every Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. on Talk Back. You can listen to Jennings' full report below: